Taking part in a television documentary has helped raise awareness of mental health issues, a Balham GP has said.

Wandsworth Times:

Dr Claire Taylor is one of the doctors at Balham Park Surgery, which has been the focus of a fixed camera rig documentary called GPs: Behind Closed Doors.

The surgery has 19 doctors and 18,400 patients.

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Dr Taylor said: "It has been really fascinating to see ourselves in action.

"When we train, we do a bit on video but because we have been doing this over a period of months, you don't know when you are and when you aren't being filmed.

"We get to reflect on the way that we practice."

She said the show had a great reaction from family and friends, and has helped to raise mental health issues.

Dr Taylor said: "My mother-in-law said she did not realise how many people I see with mental health issues.

"Everyday we are seeing someone with depression or anxiety issues.

"I am happy it has raised awareness about it and taken the stigma away.

"It is so common."

Dr Taylor said there was one particular patient in the surgery, a mother who was upset about stopping breastfeeding, that garnered a lot of responses.

She said: "Breastfeeding is best but not at the expense of mental health.

"A lot of people said to me 'I'm so glad you said that, I had such a difficult time trying to breastfeed my baby'."

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In recent weeks, Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt came under fire for suggesting parents should look at pictures online when their children have rashes, rather than go to their GP.

Dr Taylor said: "There is a political agenda around Jeremy Hunt at the moment and we are not big fans of his.

"We are struggling at the moment, with eight per cent of funding to cope with 90 per cent of workload.

"To have a rash with meningitis, means you are desperately ill, the damage you could cause is life-threatening.

"Even as a paediatrician I am still a mother, so to say you can self-manage your child's health with the internet is just frightening."

The series has been running since the Autumn, and Dr Taylor said she would recommend doing it to other GP friends.

She said: "It has been an eye-opening experience.

"So many GP friends were appalled but now they are all proud.

"We will miss them [the producers], it has been lovely having them."

GPs Behind Closed Doors, is on Wednesdays, 8pm on Channel 5.