NICE guidance on common mental health disorders

Through its role as a partner in the National Collaborating Centre for Mental Health, the British Psychological Society has contributed to new guidance on the recognition and treatment of common mental health disorders. Issued by the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE), the guidance is aimed principally at health professionals, including GPs, working in primary care. The document brings together in one place advice from existing recommendations for different conditions, but there is a particular emphasis on increasing the recognition of anxiety disorders. If an anxiety disorder is suspected the new guidance advises GPs to use the 2-item General Anxiety Disorder Scale and to arrange further assessment if a high score is obtained. The scale asks patients how often over the last two weeks they were bothered by feeling nervous, anxious, or on edge, and how often they were unable to stop or control worrying. The new guidance is also accompanied by an educational slide set and other tools to help encourage uptake by GPs.

www.nice.org.uk/guidance/CG123