RCGP join forces with Mind and NCCMH to tackle depression, UK

The Royal College of General Practitioners (RCGP), as the National Collaborating Centre for Primary Care (NCCPC), Mind, and the National Collaborating Centre for Mental Health (NCCMH) have joined forces to produce a new poster aimed at helping people with depression and with anxiety.



The poster, which will be on display in GP surgeries around England and Wales, aims to inform patients of a wide range of options available for the treatment of depression and anxiety. As well as medication, the poster highlights how exercise programmes and support groups, can also be effective in treating mental health problems. The aim is to raise awareness of the various options available and to encourage patients to work actively with their GP in choosing the best treatment to suit their particular needs.



Dr Alan Cohen, chairman of the NCCPC's anxiety guideline development group and member of the RCGP mental health task group, said: "The poster is an important part of spreading the information contained within the guidance. It encourages the public to talk to their GPs about their worries over what a diagnosis of anxiety or depression might mean, and to discuss with their doctor what sort of treatments would be most effective in their case. There are a number of highly effective treatments for both anxiety and depression, which include talking therapies, medication, exercise and self help books. These conditions are treatable, and with the patient and the doctor working together, depression and anxiety can be managed successfully."



Sophie Corlett, Director of Policy for Mind said: "We welcomed the publication of the NICE guidelines on depression and anxiety last year, but felt that the general public needed clarification on what they could expect from their GPs as a result of the guidance. We were pleased to develop this material, in collaboration with the RCGP and the NCCMH, and hope they will encourage people to seek appropriate help from their GPs if they think they might be suffering from depression or from anxiety."



The collaboration follows the publication of the National Institute for Clinical Excellence (NICE) guidelines on treatment and care for people with depression and with anxiety in December 2004.



Copies of the posters are being sent by Mind to the mental health lead at all Primary Care Trusts (PCTs), and practice managers will be encouraged to place the material in a prominent place such as waiting rooms. Extra copies, available in English and Welsh, can be requested by PCTs. The information leaflets will also be accessible at mind.uk/nice to view online or print off.




The RCGP is a lead organisation for the National Collaborating Centre for Primary Care (NCCPC), which develops guidelines for the National Institute for Clinical Excellence (NICE). Guidelines cover specific diseases or conditions and can include any aspect of management, from prevention and self-care to primary and secondary and more specialised services.
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