Mental heath coalition welcomes new Government spending on psychological therapies

Posted Wednesday 23 June 2010

Today the Government has announced its plans to continue to invest
£70 million into psychological therapies designed to treat common mental health problems such as anxiety and depression. Since 2007, the Improving Access to Psychological Therapies (IAPT) scheme has focused on increasing access to talking treatment Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT).  

Speaking on behalf of the We Need To Talk Coalition, which campaigns on talking therapies provision, Chief Executive of Mind Paul Farmer said:


Mental health services have long been an easy target when budgets are slashed, and we are delighted that the new Government will continue plans to invest in crucial talking treatments.
However, CBT is just one of a host of therapies that can be prescribed for mental health problems, and many people are still stuck on waiting lists struggling to access other therapies that are absolutely fundamental to mental health care, such as counselling. Basic mental health treatments are still suffering the knock on effects of a long legacy of neglect, and funding for talking treatments need to embrace the full range of therapies that can treat all kinds of mental health problems.
The new Government should use this as an opportunity to expand IAPT to include the full spectrum of treatment that huge numbers of people need urgently, and many are currently kept waiting for.

Notes

The We Need To Talk campaign is supported by The British Association for Behavioural and Cognitive Psychotherapies, British Association for Counselling & Psychotherapy , The British Psychoanalytic Council, The British Psychological Society, The Mental Health Foundation, Mind, The New Savoy Partnership, Rethink, The Royal College of General Practitioners, The Royal College of Psychiatrists, Sainsbury Centre for Mental Health and Young Minds.

Mind is the leading mental health charity in England and Wales. We work to create a better life for everyone with experience of mental distress.
New Savoy Partnership website

For more information, interviews and a range of case studies please contact Mind press office.
t: 0208 522 1743
m: 07850 788514
e: press@mind.org.uk
ISDN line available: 020 8221 0817

Please note that Mind is not an acronym and should be set in title case.

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