Objectives. To investigate the nature of patients' perceptions of the role of the general practitioner in the management of emotional problems in primary care; the association between patient characteristics and perceptions; and the association between perceptions and the recognition of psychiatric morbidity by the GP. Design. Cross‐sectional correlation design. Methods. Patients attending their GPs completed the General Health Questionnaire (N = 1511) and a scale measuring perceptions of the GP's role (the Patient Perceptions Scale (PPS), N = 867). Forty‐three volunteer GPs assessed patients for psychiatric symptomatology. Self‐report and GP assessments of psychiatric status were compared to examine detection of disorder. Results. Principal component analysis of responses to the PPS indicated four dimensions. A multilevel model indicated that some of these PPS dimensions were related to patient age, sex and current levels of psychiatric symptomatology. Furthermore, in one dimension there was significant variation at the GP level (i. e. in the average PPS scores between patients consulting different GPs). The likelihood of a patient with significant psychiatric symptoms being recognized was related to the disorder's severity and to the patient's perception of the degree to which the GP was oriented to the management of emotional problems. There were no other significant associations with the perception questionnaire factors or patient demographic characteristics. Conclusions. The perceived role of the GP in the management of emotional problems varies among patients, reflecting both patient characteristics and the characteristics of their own GP. Perceptions of the orientation of the GP towards emotional issues may influence the likelihood of the recognition of dis