Obstacles and Practical Perspectives of the Consultation in General Medicine of Migrants with Psychological Disorders. Qualitative Study among French General Practitioners

Objective: The aim of this study is to understand the problems of managing psychological disorders in migrant populations, based on the experience of general practitioners.Method: A qualitative study was carried out with general practitioners interviewed in a semi-directive mode. We chose the continuous comparison method and Peirce's pragmatic phenomenological approach to explore the lived experience.Results: Thirteen interviews revealed four phenomenological categories: (1) Immigration was an experience of mental suffering from beginning to end at the source of psychological disorder migrant population (PDMPs) with the need for specialized follow-up. (2) Inadequate support on arrival, with complicated administrative procedures and insecure societal and environmental conditions, exacerbated the precariousness of migrants, making follow-up difficult. (3) Immigration was a transcultural journey in which the language, attitudes and perceptions of each individual blurred understanding of symptoms and care, and thus professional communication. (4) Unprepared general practitioners found counselling migrants to be difficult, time-consuming and complex. They pointed to the need for a coordinated system with comprehensive multidisciplinary care.Conclusion: This study highlights the difficulties encountered by general practitioner (GPs) dealing with migrant patients in France. They feel helpless in the face of the nature of the disorders encountered and experience a disparity between the connections that are difficult to establish and those in their usual practice, even when professional experience with this population is acquired. They point to the need for coordinated models of care, financed by public policy.