The depression and anxiety charity, Depression Alliance, is using this year’s Depression Awareness Week (19th April to 23rd April) to focus attention on depression and anxiety services, with the launch of a new guide, Daring to Implement: Case studies to inspire commissioning of services for depression and anxiety.

The new guide, which was launched on 22nd April to an audience of NHS mental health commissioners, leading charities and national policy-makers has been produced for all those working in depression and anxiety in the NHS. It details eight examples of excellence in services for depression from across the country, and identifies challenges and recommendations for NHS commissioners and healthcare professionals.

Daring to Implement aims to demonstrate that diverse and novel services can be achieved in treating depression and anxiety and in turn stimulate good practice to make high quality and innovative practice the rule not the exception.

Describing the key ingredients for a successful service Emer O’Neill, Chief Executive of Depression Alliance said:

'Common to all the exceptional services identified by Depression Alliance for the report, was the acceptance that people with depression need treatments and services to meet their needs and the offering of real choice in what and how they receive treatments.'

Depression is one of the most common conditions for which people seek professional help in primary care. One in six adults will have a mental health problem at any one time and for half of these people the problem will last for longer than a year.

Traditionally, primary care has not been given the resources or expertise necessary to offer comprehensive treatment to people with depression. However, increasing recognition of the burden of depression on society, the economy and the health service, and an emergence of new thinking has led to a range of services and treatment options for people suffering from depression and anxiety.

Emer O’Neill will use the launch to set out the key challenge for the NHS:

'There is strong evidence that the job losses, home repossessions and high-cost debt that have accompanied the economic downturn are having a profound impact on the UK’s mental wellbeing. It is imperative that the NHS responds to this by spreading the limited pockets of good practice to every part of the country, despite the tough spending restrictions the NHS is now facing.'