DOCTORS in County Durham are to offer their patients a novel prescription.

Self-help library books will be prescribed as part of a scheme running at libraries in the Chester-le-Street area.

Called Books on Prescription (Bop), it is being run by the libraries and the Durham and Chester-le-Street Primary Care Trust (PCT).

Dr John Preston, chairman of the PCT executive committee and a GP in Chester-le-Street, will launch the scheme at Chester-le-Street Library on Thursday.

The county council's group manager for Chester-le-Street libraries, Helen Thompson, said: "We very much hope to roll out Bop across the county with the co-operation of the various PCTs.

"Derwentside is already exploring the possibility of joining Bop, as are Sedgefield and Easington.

"The ethos behind Bop is that many of us suffer from very mild mental health problems at some point in our lives, but because the problems are so mild, you don't want to resort to taking pills and counselling seems a step too far.

"Doctors, too, are reluctant to prescribe drugs or counselling when con- ditions are so mild.

"A self-help book is like having someone to talk to without taking that extra step. It's like thinking out loud."

She added: "Many self-help books are written by acknowledged experts but those good books can sometimes be difficult to find hidden among less well-written and less helpful books.

"The scheme uses only those books that have been thoroughly tested by mental health practitioners and which have been proved to work when correctly used."

When someone is prescribed a book, the doctor will issue a written prescription which the patient takes to their local library in Chester-le-Street, Sacriston or Pelton, where staff will exchange it for the prescribed book.

As well as the book, which is on loan, people will receive a workbook to keep of exercises or diary sheets recommended in the book, so that they do not have to copy them.

The workbook also contains information on where to get further help and support if it is needed.

The books cover topics such as mild depression, eating disorders, anxiety and obsessive compulsive disorders and the range will expand as the scheme progresses.