Doctors will be prescribing self-help books to people with mental health problems from Monday.

Bradford libraries and Bradford District Care Trust are teaming up for the project, which will see GPs advising patients with phobias, depression or anxiety to borrow mood-boosting titles from their local libraries.

All libraries will have a core list of 30 books available to borrow, as well as leaflets of details of further reading.

Reading Well Books on Prescription is a national scheme, developed jointly between independent charity The Reading Agency and the Society of Chief Librarians.

The books are designed to work alongside therapy. Nicola Lees, of Bradford District Care Trust, said: “There is true benefit in understanding and managing common mental health conditions and with the right resources, many illnesses relating to mental health can be managed early and avoid the need for specialist help.”