Report calls for nationwide psychotherapy

Report calls for nationwide psychotherapy

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Monday, 19, Jun 2006 12:01

Psychological treatment and therapy should be made available to all UK residents suffering from depression, chronic anxiety or schizophrenia, a new report claims, with considerable savings possible through getting people off incapacity benefits.

The London School of Economics (LSE) Depression Report, created in partnership with the Centre for Economic Performance's mental health policy group, believes that dedicated psychological services should be extended to the entire country, in line with the guidelines from the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (Nice).

Professor Richard Layard, lead author of the report, believes that it would be possible to implement these changes by 2013, and that the developments would pay for themselves by reducing expenditure on incapacity benefits by getting people back to work.

Today's report reveals that there are more people currently suffering from mental illness on incapacity benefits than there are people receiving jobseekers' allowance.

In addition, exposing the scope of mental illness in the UK, the report claims that one in six people suffers from depression or chronic anxiety, while only a quarter are receiving treatment.

The report's findings and proposals have so far received the backing of the Royal College of General Practitioners as well as prominent mental health charities Mind, Rethink and the Mental Health Foundation.

Professor Mayur Lakhani, chairman of the Royal College of General Practitioners, explained that modern psychological treatments are as effective as medication and preferable for patients.

"GPs tell me all the time just how hard it is to get talking therapies for their patients. I welcome this important proposal, which, if implemented, could transform the care of thousands of patients with anxiety and depression," he said.