Brits self-diagnosing normal anxieties as mental health illnesses are hiking up benefits bill, claims Mel Stride
THOSE who self-diagnose normal anxieties as mental health illnesses are pushing up the benefits bill, the Work and Pensions Secretary claims.
Unveiling plans to make people signed off with “mild” conditions look for a job, Mel Stride said the UK’s approach to mental health is in danger of having “gone too far”.
He told The Telegraph: “There is a real risk that we are labelling the normal ups and downs of life as medical conditions.
“This holds people back and, ultimately, drives up the benefit bill.”
Since 2020, the number of people out of work due to long-term sickness has skyrocketed, reaching 2.7million in January.
A large proportion report suffering from bad nerves or depression.
On Thursday, the Prime Minister’s official spokesman did not repeat Mr Stride’s comments, but said Rishi Sunak agreed with him on “the challenges that we are facing with tackling long-term sickness-related inactivity in the workforce”.
Meanwhile, health minister Dame Andrea Leadsom told LBC Mr Stride was making “a really important point” but she wouldn’t “frame it in exactly the same terms”.