Government targets mental health issues
October 16, 2009
The Government has launched a series of 52 new talking therapy services, designed to assist more than 100,000 people.
The new service sites, situated in various locations, go live across the country from World Mental Health Day on 10 October 2009 to March 2010 and are designed to help people with depression and anxiety disorders access approved treatments, including cognitive behavioural therapies, counselling and guided self-help.
The 52 new sites join 35 existing services launched in 2008 and a further 28 that went live earlier in 2009. The programme is part of £103 million being spent by the Department of Health on making a total of 115 services available by March 2010.
Commenting on the programme and its aim to help thousands of people recover from debilitating anxiety disorders, the Government’s Care Services Minister Phil Hope said: “The talking therapy services that are already up and running have been very successful, with 73,000 people entering treatment and 1500 more therapists being employed under the scheme. I look forward to seeing the programme go from strength to strength in the future.”
According to government sources, one in four people suffer from a mental health problem at any one time and mental ill health costs the economy over £77 billion a year.
Print this page