Half of people who died by suicide had seen a GP in the previous three months, often for something other than mental health

The edition in brief

A mixed-methods study of 157 consecutive suicides in five English local authorities found 79% were men, 65% lived in the most deprived areas, 85% had a mental health diagnosis, 62% a long-term physical illness and 41% a previous attempt. About half had consulted a GP in the preceding three months, and mental health featured in only about half of those consultations; relationship breakdown, housing instability and work pressure were common, and service transitions were points of vulnerability. A European Delphi panel from 20 countries agreed six point-of-care tests are essential in out-of-hours primary care: glucose, urine dipstick, CRP, pregnancy test, ECG and haemoglobin. A Swedish registry of 607 peritonsillitis episodes found most occurred in adolescents and young adults, only 23% followed a recorded sore throat within 30 days, and 85% were first handled in primary care. A qualitative study within a randomised trial described how 12-week group medical visits for chronic pain provided emotional, appraisal, informational and practical support.