Turn the Page: Libraries and Doctors Join Forces to Help People Read Their Way to Wellness

With Mental Health Awareness Week just around the corner, people in Taranaki will soon have access to an exciting new wellness initiative called ‘Turn the Page’.

Turn the Page links people who have mild to moderate mental health issues to a set of self-help books recommended by psychologists and counsellors. GPs ‘prescribe’ books to their patients, which can then be borrowed from Puke Ariki and the District Libraries. Turn the Page will be launched at Puke Ariki on Monday 3 October 2011 to coincide with Taranaki Mental Health Awareness Week.

Puke Ariki service delivery manager Dale Cousens says borrowing one of the books is no different to any other library book and staff are keen to help.

“You can hand the Turn the Page prescription to the librarian, or you can find the books using the self-checkout machine which provides extra privacy. If the books are not available at that time they can be reserved.” she says.

Puke Ariki and Midlands Health Network joined forces earlier this year to pilot the programme. It has since been refined to make it as user-friendly as possible for patients, GPs and librarians. The booklist currently covers eight different areas of mental health including depression, anxiety, stress and grief. It will be expanded over time.

Like Minds Taranaki are also supporting the initiative. Manager Gordon Hudson says Turn the Page lets patients learn more about their mental health situation in their own time, at their own convenience, and they can use this information to better manage their recovery and ongoing wellness.

”The service will be valuable for family members of people experiencing mental illness because they too can read the books and have a greater understanding of what’s happening,” says Gordon.

“Statistics show that 46 percent of the population will experience mental illness at some time in their lives. Only two out of three people will seek professional help because the stigma and discrimination of having a mental illness is seen as worse than having a mental illness itself. Unfortunately, too many who don’t seek support and help tend to be men,” says Gordon.

The full Turn the Page booklist can be downloaded directly from the Puke Ariki website. However, people are strongly encouraged to discuss any concerns they have about their well-being with their GP or preferred health professional.

Andrew Brock, community relationship manager for Midlands Health Network says patients are responding well to Turn the Page.

“One patient took her teenage son to see a GP because he was feeling down. At his appointment he was given a Turn the Page prescription. His mother said they both learnt a lot through the reading some of the information together,” he says.

“Another patient told us reading books saved him. He has suffered Bi-polar disorder for many years and was at rock bottom. His brother reached out to him and recommended reading to fill in his day. He told us the books have left no room for negative thoughts.”

Andrew says Turn the Page will be extended to all the libraries in Taranaki and possibly across other districts in the future.