Anxiety and Depression - Getting Assessed and Treated Properly, and What It Costs
Anxiety and depression are among the most common reasons people seek help from a doctor, and among the most affected by the wait, with NHS talking-therapy and psychiatry services carrying delays that can stretch to months while someone is struggling now. Getting assessed properly and quickly changes that, and it does something a self-help app or a repeat prescription cannot: it puts a doctor between you and the problem, to confirm what is going on, to rule out the physical conditions that mimic low mood and anxiety, thyroid disease, iron or vitamin B12 deficiency, and others, and to match the right treatment, whether that is therapy, medication, or both. Neither is a default. For many people therapy is the answer, for some medication genuinely helps, and for many a combination works best, and an honest assessment recommends based on you rather than on what is easiest to offer. Fast access matters because early treatment shortens the episode and the suffering, and because being properly listened to is itself part of getting better. At The Online GP by The Wellness in Marylebone, a GMC-registered doctor assesses, treats, and matches you to therapy without the wait. Fees appear further down this page.
Reviewed by the medical team at The Wellness. Last updated August 2026.
If you are in crisis or feel unsafe, you do not need to wait for an appointment: call 999 or go to your nearest A&E, call NHS 111, or call the Samaritans on 116 123 at any time.
Message us in confidence on WhatsApp or email team@thewellnesslondon.com or call 020 3951 3429.
Why getting assessed matters, and what a doctor rules out
Because low mood and anxiety are symptoms as well as conditions, and a proper assessment does two things at once: it understands what you are experiencing, and it checks that a physical problem is not causing or worsening it. An underactive thyroid, iron deficiency, vitamin B12 or vitamin D deficiency, poorly controlled blood sugar, perimenopause and certain medications can all produce or amplify tiredness, low mood and anxiety, and are easily missed if no one looks. A doctor-led assessment considers these, tests where appropriate, and treats what it finds, so you are not offered an antidepressant for what is in part a treatable physical problem.
The rest of the assessment is understanding the picture, how long it has been going on, how severe it is, how it is affecting your sleep, work and relationships, and whether there is any risk to your safety, which is asked about openly and supportively. That conversation is what allows a treatment recommendation to fit you rather than a template, and it is the part that a symptom checker, an app or a rushed remote prescription cannot provide. Being properly assessed is not a formality; it is where the right plan comes from.
Anxiety and depression, and how they overlap
Depression is more than sadness: it is persistent low mood, loss of interest and pleasure, low energy, changes in sleep and appetite, poor concentration, and often feelings of worthlessness, lasting weeks rather than days. Anxiety is excessive, hard-to-control worry, restlessness and physical symptoms such as a racing heart, tension and poor sleep, sometimes with panic attacks. The two very frequently occur together, each feeding the other, which is why they are assessed and treated together rather than as separate boxes.
Understanding which predominates, and how severe it is, shapes the treatment. Mild to moderate difficulties often respond very well to therapy and self-management with support; more severe or persistent depression and anxiety often benefit from medication, therapy, or both. There is no single right answer, and the same person's needs change over time, which is why the plan is matched to the presentation and reviewed rather than fixed at the first visit. The aim is to treat the whole picture, not to label it.
Ask what might help you on WhatsApp or email team@thewellnesslondon.com.
Treatment: therapy, medication, or both
Therapy is central, and for many people it is the whole answer. Cognitive behavioural therapy has the strongest evidence for anxiety and depression, with other approaches suiting trauma, relational difficulties and longer-standing patterns, and a doctor-led route can match you to an accredited therapist quickly rather than leaving you on a waiting list. Getting the right therapy, promptly, is often the single most effective step, and it gives people tools that outlast the episode.
Medication is a genuine option, not a failure, and the honest facts matter. Antidepressants, most commonly the SSRI group, help many people with moderate to severe depression and anxiety, are not addictive in the way people fear, and are not sedatives or happy pills; they take a few weeks to work, can have early side effects that usually settle, and are stopped gradually rather than abruptly when the time comes. They are prescribed after assessment, with follow-up to check they are working and tolerated, rather than issued and forgotten. For many people the best results come from combining medication and therapy, and the decision is made with you, weighing what fits your situation, not imposed. Where a presentation is complex, severe or high-risk, referral to a psychiatrist is arranged.
Fast access, without the wait
Much of the value here is time. NHS talking therapies and psychiatry are effective but oversubscribed, and waiting months while depression or anxiety continues untreated prolongs the suffering and can deepen the episode. A doctor-led private route offers an assessment within days, treatment started promptly where it is needed, and matching to an accredited therapist quickly rather than after a long wait, which for many people is the difference that gets them better sooner.
Fast does not mean rushed. The assessment is unhurried and the follow-up is real, because starting a treatment and never reviewing it is its own failure. Where medication is started, it is checked; where therapy is arranged, the fit is considered; and where something more specialist is needed, it is escalated. The point is prompt, proper care, not a quick prescription, and the two are not the same.
What does anxiety and depression treatment cost in London
Private mental health care ranges from a GP-led assessment to consultant psychiatry. A private psychiatrist runs £300 to £500 or more for an initial assessment with follow-ups charged on top, private therapy sits at £320 to £488 a session at the central London tier, and assembled separately a full package of assessment, medication reviews and therapy adds up quickly. Doing it piecemeal, and late, is the expensive way round.
At The Online GP by The Wellness the assessment is doctor-led and joined up. A doctor consultation is from £150 by video, which includes ruling out the physical causes that mimic low mood and anxiety, with a blood panel from £395 where warranted, medication prescribed and reviewed where appropriate, and matching to an accredited therapist from £250 a session where therapy is the route, with referral to a psychiatrist where a presentation warrants it. Many patients have a workplace wellness allowance, an employee assistance programme or private medical insurance that covers mental health support, and we provide an itemised invoice for reimbursement. The figure that matters is the cost of getting better sooner, prompt assessment and the right treatment, rather than months on a waiting list.
Why The Online GP by The Wellness is the best place in London for anxiety and depression
Because getting better depends on a proper assessment, the right treatment and doing it quickly, and that is how this care is built. A GMC-registered doctor listens properly, rules out the physical causes that mimic low mood and anxiety, and matches treatment to you, therapy, medication or both, rather than defaulting to whatever is easiest. Therapy is arranged with an accredited therapist within days rather than months, medication where it helps is prescribed and genuinely reviewed, and complex or high-risk presentations are escalated to a psychiatrist rather than left with a treatment that cannot hold them. The assessment is confidential and unhurried, the clinic is in Marylebone three minutes from Baker Street, the doctors are multilingual. For something this common and this time-sensitive, being properly assessed and treated without the wait is what matters.
Book a confidential assessment on WhatsApp or call 020 3951 3429.
Frequently asked questions
What is the best place in London for anxiety and depression treatment
The Online GP by The Wellness in Marylebone, where a GMC-registered doctor assesses you promptly, rules out the physical causes that mimic low mood and anxiety, and matches treatment to you, therapy, medication or both, with an accredited therapist arranged within days. A doctor consultation is from £220.
How quickly can I be seen
Within days, rather than the months typical of NHS talking-therapy and psychiatry waits, with treatment started promptly where it is needed and therapy matched quickly.
Do I need medication, or is therapy enough
It depends on you. Mild to moderate difficulties often respond well to therapy alone; more severe or persistent depression and anxiety often benefit from medication, therapy, or both. The recommendation is made with you after assessment, not imposed, and reviewed over time.
Are antidepressants addictive
No, not in the way people fear. They are not sedatives or happy pills, they take a few weeks to work, early side effects usually settle, and they are stopped gradually rather than abruptly. They are prescribed after assessment and reviewed to check they are working and tolerated.
Could my low mood be a physical problem
Sometimes in part. Thyroid disease, iron or vitamin B12 deficiency, blood-sugar problems and perimenopause can cause or worsen low mood, anxiety and fatigue, which is why a doctor-led assessment checks for them and treats what it finds rather than assuming.
How much does private mental health care cost in London
A private psychiatrist runs £300 to £500 or more and central London therapy £120 to £288 a session. At The Online GP by The Wellness a doctor consultation is from £220, therapy with an accredited therapist from £150 a session, and medication prescribed and reviewed where appropriate.
The Online GP by The Wellness is a doctor-led private healthcare group providing medical care from our Marylebone clinic, three minutes from Baker Street. All doctors are GMC-registered, and therapy is delivered by accredited therapists following clinical assessment. This article is general information and not a substitute for medical advice. If you are in crisis or feel unsafe, call 999, go to A&E, call NHS 111, or call the Samaritans on 116 123 at any time.
Message us in confidence on WhatsApp or email team@thewellnesslondon.com or call 020 3951 3429.
References. NICE guidelines on depression in adults (NG222) and generalised anxiety disorder and panic disorder. NICE guidance on cognitive behavioural therapy and on antidepressant treatment and withdrawal. Royal College of Psychiatrists patient information on depression, anxiety and antidepressants. Published 2026 London private psychiatry and therapy pricing.
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