How do I get NHS therapy for anxiety or depression?
Short answer
Refer yourself to NHS Talking Therapies — no GP appointment is needed. It offers CBT, counselling and guided self-help to adults in England with anxiety disorders or depression. More complex needs go to a Community Mental Health Team through your GP.
The NHS mental health system has several doors, and using the wrong one costs months. For common conditions the fastest route is the one that bypasses your GP entirely.
NHS Talking Therapies
Formerly IAPT, this service covers adults aged 18 and over in England experiencing anxiety disorders — including generalised anxiety, panic, social anxiety, OCD, PTSD, health anxiety and phobias — and depression. You can refer yourself online through the service listing on the NHS website; no GP referral is required. Treatment is evidence-based: cognitive behavioural therapy, counselling and guided self-help. Waiting times vary considerably by area.
When you need more than that
- Community Mental Health Teams handle more complex needs — assessment and diagnosis, medication management, therapies outside the Talking Therapies range, and care coordination. Access is usually by GP referral, though some areas run a single point of access. Waits can be long; if you deteriorate while waiting, go back to your GP or use the crisis routes below.
- CAMHS covers under-18s (and up to 25 in some areas for those already in the service), including anxiety, depression, self-harm, eating disorders, and in some areas ADHD and autism assessment. Referrals come from GPs, schools or other professionals, and waits of a year or more are common. In the meantime, school pastoral support, YoungMinds and Kooth are worth using.
In crisis — suicidal thoughts, a severe episode, immediate risk — call NHS 111 and choose option 2, the 24/7 mental health line staffed by mental health professionals in most areas. Crisis Resolution and Home Treatment Teams provide intensive short-term support as an alternative to admission. Go to A&E or call 999 where there is immediate risk to life. Samaritans are on 116 123 at any hour. Since November 2023 every area has been required to provide a 24/7 urgent mental health response within four hours of referral.
If you are detained under the Mental Health Act 1983 you have a statutory right to an Independent Mental Health Advocate under section 130A — ask any member of the care team. You can also apply to the First-tier Tribunal to challenge detention, and anyone discharged from section 3, 37, 47 or 48 is entitled to free section 117 aftercare, which cannot be means-tested.
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