Panic Attacks and Anxiety

2. Questions to the Minister for Mental Health, Wellbeing and Welsh Language – in the Senedd on 24 March 2021.

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Photo of David Melding David Melding Conservative

(Translated)

5. What services are in place to support people suffering from panic attacks and anxiety? OQ56493

Photo of Baroness Mair Eluned Morgan Baroness Mair Eluned Morgan Labour 3:15, 24 March 2021

There is a range of support in place to help people who suffer from anxiety and panic attacks. These include Welsh Government-funded resources such as Reading Well Wales, online cognitive behavioural therapy and our community advice and listening line helpline. A range of support is also available from our voluntary sector partners.

Photo of David Melding David Melding Conservative 3:16, 24 March 2021

Thank you for that answer, Minister. We were talking about stigma earlier, and, can I just say, when, in the Chamber, I talked about my own experience during political service of panic attacks, it had the biggest response of anything I've ever done in my career? Well over 100,000 likes on the social media that I put out on that, and I think this demonstrates—. They were worldwide, incidentally. It just demonstrates the need for us to talk about this, but also to improve services. So, I was encouraged by the cognitive behavioural therapy course that's been developed—I think it's called the SilverCloud. Now, it's in its early stages; I just wonder when we are likely to see the evidence from that programme and the take-up and effectiveness of it. But, given that Welsh Government modelling suggests that there could be an increase of up to 40 per cent in the demand for primary care mental health services, where most anxiety services would be, obviously, delivered, it seems to me that online—[Inaudible.]

Photo of David Melding David Melding Conservative

—are an essential part of the—[Inaudible.]

Photo of Ann Jones Ann Jones Labour

We seem to have lost David; I think he's got a bad connection, so—. No, I'm sorry about that. I think we're going to move on. If we get David back, I might manage to see whether we can get an answer for his question. Can we move on to question 6, Mark Isherwood?