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Book therapy spells a new chapter for health care
GPs trial scheme providing self-help titles to fight depression
SELF-help books will be issued on prescription by GPs to combat depression under a new scheme being trialled in the borough.
Overcoming Depression by Chris Williams and the Worry Cure by Robert Leahy are among the 21 titles that will be available on the NHS as part of the scheme to give patients suffering with depression, anxiety and eating disorders an alternative to drug-based medication.
From next month, patients can take their “book prescription” to Victoria, Marylebone or Maida Vale libraries, where they will be issued with the title for six weeks as part of the treatment which has been dubbed “bibliotherapy”.
While the treatment is being championed by health chiefs, there is scepticism that it is more about saving money than mental health care.
If successful, the six-month trial will be rolled out across the borough’s 12 libraries.
Currently GPs can offer a range of help including counselling, cognitive behaviour therapy and medication such as anti-depressants, but research shows that self-help books can help patients overcome emotional or psychological illness without side effects.
The scheme costs nothing to run and is jointly overseen by Westminster City Council and NHS Westminster.
Titles, selected by a panel of health experts, are categorised by disorder with depression, anxiety, panic, social anxiety, phobias, self-esteem, obsessive-compulsive (OCD), eating and anger all represented.
Chair of NHS Westminster Joe Hegarty said: “We want to promote the therapeutic pleasures of reading to people who may not normally think of using literature to improve their state of wellbeing. Health professionals will work in close partnership with colleagues in social care to ensure we provide a holistic approach to supporting the health of our community, promoting and protecting good mental health for all Westminster residents.”
Dr Margaret Kesterton, director of the health charity Westminster MIND, said the scheme was a good idea, but urged rigorous assessment in surgeries.
“Broadly speaking I think books can help.
“A lot of low-level conditions can be treated outside the surgery. But it shouldn’t be the case of books, end of story. GPs need to be vigilant about what the patient needs.”
Ed Argar, Westminster City Council’s adult health boss, said: “Libraries play an essential role in the lives of residents, businesses and visitors in the heart of London through the provision of free resources that go beyond the traditional lending of books.
“I’m delighted that our libraries will now support book prescription services that could help to improve the health and wellbeing of our residents. However, it is important to stress that this scheme will be an addition to the current medical treatment available and as such should not be viewed as a replacement for sound medical advice.” |
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