The government is to spend millions more on "talking treatments" for depression and anxiety in England.
Health Secretary Alan Johnson said by 2010, £170m a year would be spent - allowing 900,000 more people to be treated using psychological therapies.

These are just as effective as drugs, says the National Institute of Health and Clinical Excellence.

The plan will pay for itself as people return to work and stop needing benefits, an expert said.

As many as six million working age adults suffer from depression or anxiety at any one time, resulting in a estimated 91 million working days being lost every year.

The problem is estimated to cost the economy £12bn a year.

Currently, treatments such as cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) are in short supply - on average, patients wait 18 months to start treatment.

The new plan aims to reduce that wait to just a fortnight, in line with improvements in outpatient waiting times in other parts of the NHS.

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Simon
Viewpoint Webteam

SOURCE: BBC News Online