DEPRESSION can be treated quickly and effectively by mental health nurses with minimal training, according to research from the University of York.

Working in conjunction with the Mental Health Research Centre at Durham University, the study discovered that nurses who received only five days of training in a technique known as behavioural activation, were able to successfully treat patients with depression.

It is hoped the findings could pave the way for increased access to psychological treatment for those with depression and ease waiting times to see specialists.

Davis Eckers, author of the findings, said: “This is a small-scale study and certainly more research with bigger trials is needed but it shows some very promising early findings. “The results indicate that with limited training, generic mental health workers can be trained to deliver clinically effective behavioural activation to people with long-standing depression.”