Self-Help books in the right circumstances can help alleviate some of the problems associated with depression, and other mental health symptoms. However, self-help books cannot be the alternative for comprehensive, well planned and managed mental health care. Psycho therapy in the UK and Scotland in particualr are extremely poor, and their availability is very low. There are not enough well trained psychiatrists, psychologists, and psycho therapists to treat the population. The 6-8 months waiting list for an 8 session "set" of meetings with a counsellor makes the intervention of a counsellor meaningless, too little to late! Another added dimension of the lack of adequate mental health care in the UK is that people suffering from depression, stress, and other similar syndromes, affect those around them, propagating these syndromes. When parents are depressed and disfunctional, their behaviour will affect their children who will also become depressed. The same can be experienced at the work place... so yes, depression, stress, breed more depression and stress, and are contagious. Self-Help books cannot be relied upon to cover up the poor record of mental-health care in the UK

People need to get a bloody grip.

There is positivity within this article, especially the anonymity aspect which has certainly proven its worth amongst other groups dedicated to helping people recover from mental health problems.

Howevever the phrase:

"They hope prescribing the books will allow many people with mental-health problems to treat themselves in privacy"

sends a chill down my spine.

Whether or not it's an accurate reflection of what was actually said, its presence is worrying. Mental health by its very nature impairs mental functioning and interpretation and anything that suggests you can recover alone in your own home is potentially fatal. Going it alone is frequently a seed of mental ill-health.

I also note "Alan Freeburn, a psychologist with NHS Fife, said that similar schemes running in Wales had been very successful in treating comparatively minor mental-health problems. "

"Comparatively minor mental-health problems" should I suggest be held uppermost in our awareness as should the fact that books are simply words and pictures. Overcoming mental illness (when it is possible) is about active effort and behavioural changes that are always easier when done in conjunction with other human beings.

Books change nothing, people do and I trust all the books prescribed will finish by saying "

"Always consult your GP".

If I'd done that rather than read books I might have avoided Comparatively Major Mental Health Problems.

Still, There is positivity!

Do you think I could get a prescription for a Fiat Bravo workshop manual?

It's doin ma heid in!

I think self help booklets would be a great idea .. not specifically in the mental health care.. but in all aspect of health..

How to deal with common cold... how to treat yourself when you have a sore throat.... what health care resourses are available like community pharmacists now there is the Minor Ailments service the argument of not being able to afford to buy medications is out the window... if you don't know what I mean go speak to your local chemist!! free meds in minor conditions if you don't pay for nhs prescriptions.... and finally pointers in education of the people when it is appropriate to contact the medical services..

Too many people complain about not being able to get an emergency appointment with their GP for several days/weeks ... but if we as a nation were at least willing to try and be logical and help ourselves in simple self limiting ailments then that would surely free up time for when we REALLY needed an emergency appointment .

Of course the big thing would be encouraging people to actually read the literature..

As far as I see on my regular trips to the supermarket when very able bodies people park in the disabled spaces just to be nearer the door I must assume the biggest disability in Scotland is the disability of being unable to read...

It smacks of cost cutting with a dash of tell it to someone who cares written all over it

The article would be far more helpful, if some of the self-help books were listed!

As an expert I can state without fear of having thought about this for any length of time at all that the regional differences can be explained by being in different regions. May I ask in closing why these wonder tomes are not to be made available to the men of Shetland in this trial?