HEALTH Reporter Helen Rae explains why people in the North East are being encouraged to be mindful of their mental health this year.

WITH the excitement of the festive season over, January can often seem like a long, bleak month, with credit card bills and debts mounting up.

As a result, it is worth remembering our mental health is an important part of our well-being – yet it can often be an area overlooked.

Whether it’s depression, anxiety, phobias, panic attacks or obsessive compulsive disorders (OCD), one in four of us will have mental health issues at some time in our lives.

People who find themselves suffering from depression and anxiety in Northumberland can benefit from a service called Improving Access to Psychological Therapies (IAPT).

The North East NHS recognises these difficulties have a considerable impact on our lives and this service has been set up to make help more readily available for people over the age of 16 living in the county who are experiencing common psychological problems.

NHS North of Tyne, working on behalf of Northumberland Care Trust, has commissioned MHCO – a not-for-profit social enterprise which is part of North East based charity Mental Health Concern – to deliver IAPT services.

This is in addition to psychological therapies provided by Northumberland, Tyne and Wear NHS Foundation Trust.

MHCO has recruited around 35 members of staff in Northumberland as part of the national IAPT programme which is at the heart of the Government’s drive to give greater access to, and choice of, talking therapies to those who would benefit from them.

The IAPT staff work with people who experience mental health issues, such as anxiety disorders or depression.

About 20 psychological therapists have been appointed to work in the community with people with more severe mental health needs.

The remaining staff in the clinical team are primarily psychological wellbeing practitioners working with people with similar conditions but with less severe symptoms.

The staff all have experience in providing services to patients in the community and come from backgrounds including psychology, occupational therapy, counselling and nursing.

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