DR Ian Hulme, GP with Meadowside Medical Centre, Congleton and clinical lead for mental health at NHS Eastern Cheshire CCG

MANY of us feel a little low as the festivities of Christmas give way to the dark days of the New Year. But there’s a world of difference between feeling glum and being depressed – when you feel persistently sad for weeks or months, rather than just a few days.

Symptoms of depression range from lasting feelings of unhappiness and hopelessness, to losing interest in the things you used to enjoy and feeling very tearful.

There can be physical symptoms too such as feeling constantly tired, sleeping badly, having no appetite and various aches and pains.

At its mildest, you may simply feel persistently low in spirit while severe depression can make you feel suicidal, that life is no longer worth living.

Most people experience feelings of stress, unhappiness or anxiety during difficult times. But it’s important to seek

help from your GP if you think you may be depressed. The sooner you see a doctor, the sooner you can be on the way to recovery.

Here in Eastern Cheshire, the CCG has just awarded a three-year contract to a partnership providing talking therapies to people with low to moderate symptoms of stress, anxiety and depression. Starting next month, the Talking Therapies service will be provided by The Big Life group.

The group provides a wide range of services, creating opportunities for people who often have the least.

As therapists will be based in community settings, people will be able to access support and treatment in locations and at times which are convenient for them. And more timely treatment will help people get better more quickly while reducing the need for more complex psychological interventions at a later date.

The new service will include support for people experiencing low-level issues with their mental wellbeing, delivered by Macclesfield-based Peaks and Plains Housing Trust, with Age UK Cheshire East and The Dove Service.

This part of Talking Therapies will help people with issues that can cause or worsen mental health problems. Examples include money worries, relationship problems or loneliness.

People will be able to refer themselves to the new service or be referred by their GP. The contracts have been awarded by the CCG as part of a £25m investment in mental health in 2015-16.