This guideline covers care for people aged 18 and over with common mental health problems, with a focus on primary care. It aims to improve access to services for adults and how mental health problems are identified and assessed, and makes recommendations on local care pathways. Management of specific mental health problems is covered by NICE guidelines on depression, generalised anxiety disorder and panic disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder and body dysmorphic disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder and social anxiety disorder.