Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what support is providing to people with mental health conditions as an alternative to medically prescribed drugs.

The most appropriate form of treatment for an individual patient is a matter for clinicians and patients, based on each patient’s individual clinical circumstances.

Over 1 million people with mental health conditions are now accessing psychological and talking therapies through Improving Access to Psychological Therapies (IAPT) services each year. Under the NHS Long Term Plan, the Government is committed to an additional 380,000 people per year being able to access National Institute for Health and Care Excellence-approved IAPT therapies by 2023/24.

In addition, we are developing new and integrated models of primary and community mental health care which will give 370,000 adults with severe mental illnesses greater choice and control over their care and support them to live well in their communities by 2023/24.