The charts that show the rising benefits cost of ‘overdiagnosis’ ...Middle East

Wes Streeting did not deny that the Government had dropped plans to freeze personal independent payments (PIP) after a backlash from Labour MPs, but signficant changes are still expected to be announced.

When asked if he agreed with experts that warn of an overdiagnosis of mental health conditions, Streeting said he wanted to “follow the evidence, and I agree with that point about overdiagnosis”.

Here, The i Paper takes a look at the number of people claiming benefits for mental health conditions and how much the Government could save by cracking down.

This represents 44 per cent of all claimants. More than half of the rise in 16- to 64-year-olds claiming disability benefits since the pandemic is because of more claims relating to mental health or behavioural conditions.

Spending on working-age health-related benefits has increased from £36bn in 2019-20 to £48bn in 2023-24.

For all ages, the amount spent on these benefits has soared from £52bn to £65bn from 2019-20 to 2023-24.

How many people with mental health conditions are not working?

The total number of working age people who are economically inactive – not in employment and not activity seeking work – due to long-term sickness has risen from 2.075 million to 2.769 million since the end of 2019, according to the Office for National Statistics’ Labour Force Survey in 2023.

Over 1.35 million (53 per cent) of people who are economically inactive because of long-term sickness reported that they had depression, bad nerves or anxiety,

Some 320,000 reported their primary health condition to be mental illness or “phobias, panics or other nervous disorders”, compared with 269,000 in 2019.

Autism was named by 98,000, and learning difficulties were identified in another 59,000 people.

A record 3.8 million people were in contact with NHS mental health, learning disability or autism services in 2023-24, up almost two-fifths since before the pandemic. This includes more than one million children.

There were 6.4 million referrals in England to NHS Talking Therapies and other mental health services in 2021-22.

The use of ADHD medication has nearly tripled during the same period, from 80,000 to 232,000 people.

Do experts think there is an overdiagnosis?

NHS consultant neurologist Suzanne O’Sullivan is among experts who believe overdiagnosis is a growing problem – not just when it comes to mental health, but across many conditions.

Sad people are told they have “low serotonin levels”, those who are forgetful, fidgety or unsettled are told their “brain is wired wrongly”, with normal differences between people pathologised, she said.

But many mental health charities have taken issue with Streeting’s comments, with Mind warning that they risked stigmatising people.

“But it would be wrong to attribute all of the rise in poor mental health to overdiagnosis of mental health problems. Instead, we should be looking at its root causes and how we tackle them, preventing people from developing poor mental health.”

Knight said: “Many of the building blocks of good mental health, like housing, a good income and community have been eroded in recent years – is it any wonder people are struggling?

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The 20 most common conditions people claim PIP for

Brian Dow, deputy chief executive of Rethink Mental Illness, said: “It’s all very well to talk about an overdiagnosis of mental health when for many people with long-term illness there is a tremendous struggle to get a diagnosis and appropriate treatment in the first place because of pressures in the system.

Olly Parker, head of external affairs at YoungMinds, said increases in the number of young people struggling with their mental health is an “international phenomenon” seen in other countries.

He said: “The numbers of young people waiting over a year for NHS support rose 55 per cent last year. The Government’s focus should be on getting those waiting lists down and making sure young people get the support they need to live happy and fulfilled lives.”

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