Healthy Reading to Help With Mental Health
People in Glasgow with mild mental health problems such as stress, anxiety and depression could soon receive swift access to an extensive collection of self-help books thanks to a referral from their GP. The ‘Healthy Reading’ scheme has been set up by NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde and Glasgow City Council and will be launched at Mitchell Library on Tuesday, June 27 by Andy Kerr MSP, Minister for Health and Community Care.
The first project of its kind in Scotland, ‘Healthy Reading’ will give patients swift access to a selection of two hundred self-help books placed in every one of Glasgow’s thirty-five libraries and learning centres. Books available through the referral scheme will cover topics as diverse as anger management, addictions, chronic fatigue, depression and getting a good night’s sleep.
It follows a successful pilot in the south of the City, which began in February 2005 and resulted in books being borrowed 12,000 times. The reading list was drawn up following close consultation between psychologists and librarians and has now been extended to include titles suitable for young people between fourteen and eighteen-years-old.
