A new digital therapy in the form of a mobile app is now available for people in Forth Valley who are experiencing symptoms of worry and anxiety.

Known as Daylight, it uses science backed cognitive behavioural techniques to guide you through exercises to tackle your worries and feelings and address your fears so you feel more in control.

NHS and social care staff already have free access to Daylight and in partnership with the Scottish Government, NHS Forth Valley is one of the first health boards in Scotland, to extend this access to the public.

Online Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (otherwise known as CBT) has proved to be very effective in the treatment of many mental health concerns such as depression, anxiety, and stress. It targets unhelpful behaviours and thought patterns common in individuals experiencing these symptoms.

Accessing support through the new Daylight app early on should help people develop helpful ways to deal with worry and prevent the worsening of symptoms and the need for referral to specialist services, It also encourages people to self manage their condition.

Dr Sally Rankine, NHS Forth Valley’s Head of Adult Mental Health Psychology, said: “ We are delighted to be able to offer Big Health’s cognitive behavioural therapy app Daylight free to people across Forth Valley, especially with the Covid-19 pandemic and lockdown leading to an increase in worry for many people.

Daylight allows local people to access CBT in their own time and at their own pace, listening and guiding them through learning and practising proven strategies for reducing worry and anxiety in their life.”

Daylight is available to adults (18+) and can be accessed directly on a web-based or mobile device at trydaylight.com/nhs. People create their own user name and password so no-one can access any of their details and all data is stored in an encrypted database. No referrals are needed.