Inclusion and exclusion criteria

The inclusion and exclusion criteria for the review of qualitative studies are reported in Table 1. For the purposes of this meta-synthesis non-mental health trained professionals are any individuals that have not received mental health training, other than anything that they may have received as part of their professional basic training and are working in the criminal justice system, education, health service or any other organisation who interact with the public (Table 1). The introduction of the Mental Health Act (1983)[9] led to the production of a number of seminal reports which aimed to address public attitudes to mental health and a co-ordinated response from the police in responding to incidents involving mental health [6, 10, 11]. In light of changing legislation, attitudes and awareness of mental health in the UK, evidence from the last 20 years was included. An English language only restriction was used, with papers from OECD countries included.