The Royal College of Psychiatrists welcomed the new advice from the MHRA and said it would ensure it was passed on to its members promptly.

BBC: Seroxat

Dr Cosmo Hallstrom, a psychiatrist in Chelsea and member of the Royal College of Psychiatrists, said gardening provides distraction therapy, vital in helping deal with depression.

BBC: Growing better mental health

Professor John Cox, president of the Royal College of Psychiatrists told BBC News Online the survey gave a true picture of what was happening around the country.

BBC: Mental health services 'deteriorating'

Other initiatives include an advert commissioned by the Royal College of Psychiatrists' Changing Minds campaign will run in cinemas this week, aimed at challenging the stigma of mental illness.

BBC: Work stress blamed for mental illness

He is currently advising on behalf of the Royal College of Psychiatrists, on a National Books On Prescription Scheme, to be rolled out across UK public libraries this year.

BBC: Depressed woman

Doctors are much more likely to ask about, and to try and treat, suicidal feelings than in the past, according to Dinesh Bhugra of the Royal College of Psychiatrists.

ECONOMIST: Suicide is increasingly difficult��and increasingly rare

The move was one of the key recommendations of an inquiry chaired by Dame Fiona Caldicott, a former president of the Royal College of Psychiatrists, to help improve the way the NHS handles confidential patient information.

BBC: News | Health | 'Guardians' to safeguard NHS confidentiality

During its consultation on same-sex marriages, the government received evidence from the Royal College of Psychiatrists, which said lesbian, gay, and bisexual people (LGB) people experience more mental health problems and a greater likelihood of drug addiction than heterosexuals.

BBC: Gay marriage: Eight things for better, for worse

The report, which was also put together by the Royal College of Psychiatrists, points out that although rates of smoking in the general population have fallen substantially over the past 20 years, there has been little change in people with mental health conditions.

BBC: NHS 'ignoring smoking in mental health patients'