|
A report out tomorrow will call for a substantial increase in the amount of psychotherapy available on the NHS, The Observer reports.
The report by a group of leading academics will warn that only a quarter of the people suffering from depression or chronic anxiety are receiving any treatment at all.
A course of cognitive behavioural therapy, which enables people to tackle their depression and think more positively, costs £750 and would pay for itself in money saved on incapacity benefits and lost tax receipts, according to the London School of Economics team.
Its chair, Professor Richard Layard, has called on politicians of all parties to recognise the growing economic burden created by depression.
“We know that one in six people suffers from depression or chronic anxiety, and that this affects one in three of all families,” said Professor Layard.
“And yet in most parts of Britain, you will have to wait at least nine months for a course of CBT, despite the fact that it has proved to be just as effective as medication.”
The report has the support of the Royal College of General Practitioners, as well as leading mental health charities - Mind, Rethink, the Mental Health Foundation and the Sainsbury Centre for Mental Health.
Professor Mayur Lakhani, chairman of the Royal College of General Practitioners, said: “This is an important proposal, which, if implemented, could transform the care of thousands of patients with anxiety and depression.”
|
|