Government to improve access to counselling and talking therapies

The conduct has unveiled plans to help chop the high numbers of clan currently relying on medication as treatment for depression, by means of launching a new programme to increase access to therapeutic treatments.

Research allude tos that approximately 83 per cent of family currently diagnosed with depression or anxiety disorders are treated with medication, which compares unfavourably with a meagre 6 for cent receiving therapy for the same question at issues

GPs have come beneath fire for being too quick to administer medication for mild to moderate depression, while it has been reported that a certain number of antidepressants can actually intensify the symptoms, with a rise in suicide rates being linked to antidepressant use.

Talking therapies meanwhile have prov auspicious with clinical evidence showing that better access to therapies of the like kind as Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) can help corrective depression and reduce time not on work due to ill health; however there is popularly around a three to six month waiting list for access to like treatment on the NHS.

To tackle the two waiting lists and the high rates of anxiety and depression, rule advisor Lord Layard recommended in his 2004 report, Mental Health: Britain's biggest social problem? and reiterated last year, the ne to recruit 10000 extra therapists to provide evidence-based psychological treatment.

The rule has now launched a pilot programme with sum of two units demonstration sites in Doncaster and Newham, which will be linked to a regional network of local improvement programmes.

The pilot sites will bring together lock opener programmes in the NHS, voluntary sector and local employer to proof various models that can be implemented nationally.

Speaking at the launch of the programme, health secretary Patricia Hewitt said: 'Millions of tribe suffer from mild to moderate mental health vexed questions and treating them takes up about a third of GPs' time. Too many tribe are prescribed medication as a quick fix solution, on the contrary talking therapies work equally well and patients set forth to receive them.

'We know that nation in work have better health than those without of work and the Choosing Health White Paper made clear that work matters - it can improve your mental and physical health, bring health inequalities and improve life chances for race and their families.

'I faith that these pilot sites will provide real, tangible evidence of the effectiveness of investing in talking therapies. They will help break the circle of time of deprivation, where poor health leads to unemployment and wasted lives as tribe fail to reach their filled potential.'

Welcoming the announcement, Paul Farmer, chief executive of Mind, said: 'Mind has lengthy been campaigning for a wider choice of therapies, including talking therapies, to be readily available upon the NHS for all who ne them. We confidence that these pilot schemes will be a first pace towards making this a reality, and direct the eye forward to the scheme's extension to overspread the whole population.'

However Ray Miller, society of the British Psychological Society, warned: 'Whilst we welcome the proposals, they draw near at a time when we have learnt that there has been a chop of up to 20 by means of cent on some courses in the number of training places in clinical psychology in England and Wales. The situation is unprecedent - it is the first wound in training places in clinical psychology training in 20 years.

'The Department of Health appears to be cutting back upon the very people who should be available to support its stated policy aims. Clearly these reductions in training numbers are driven through finance rather than logic, and can single be seen as a failure in joined up thinking.'

Copyright Community Psychiatric nourishs Association Jul 2006

Provided through ProQuest Information and Learning Company. All rights Reserved