A SCHEME to help people with mild mental health problems by prescribing them self-help books is to start next week.

Books on Prescription, an increasingly popular service that has been adopted in the Chester-le-Street area and other parts of the country, will be launched at Consett Library next Tuesday.

The Derwentside scheme has been set up by County Durham Primary Care Trust (PCT) and is run by Durham County Council's libraries.

Books on Prescription will initially operate from Consett Library, which has branches in Stanley, Annfield Plain, South Moor and Lanchester, as well as a mobile library.

The books, all found to be effective, cover a variety of common mental health problems such as anxiety, depression, eating disorders and obsessive compulsive disorder.

Doctors will issue patients with a prescription which they take to the library to borrow the book they have been prescribed.

As well as the book, people will receive a workbook to keep of exercises or diary sheets recommended in the book so that they don't have to copy them.

Research has shown that self-help books work for many people with common mental health problems.

Nigel Nicholson, planning and project manager for County Durham PCT's Derwentside area, said: "Where the Books on Prescription scheme has been introduced in other areas, it has proven to be very popular, both with doctors and patients.

"The scheme will enable GPs to offer quick access to an additional form of evidence-based self-help to patients with mild emotional health problems, including anxiety, anger, depression and stress.

"The service will be ideal for patients who wish to avoid medication and also for patients who wish to learn how to avoid relapse in the future.''

He added: "Overall, it is envisaged that Books on Prescription will increase patient choice, be easy to access and promote social inclusion, using the library as a gateway to health promotion and to the wider information, community or cultural services accessible within."

Information will be available in GP surgeries, libraries, churches and citizens advice bureaux.