Sir Jeremy Hunt warned the UK is over-medicalising events like bereavement and job loss, leading to inappropriate welfare claims linked to anxiety and depression. He stated that 3,000 individuals are signed off from seeking work daily due to mental health conditions, which often stem from normal human trauma. Hunt emphasized that social contact and routine would benefit those struggling with anxiety and depression more than isolation. The growing number of working-age adults claiming disability benefits, particularly for mental health, adds pressure on government welfare reform discussions amidst inadequate mental health resources.
Everyone has trauma - bereavements, sometimes losing their jobs. That is not the same as mental illness. I think it's immoral we are signing off 3,000 people a day saying they don't have to look for work.
The majority of those have anxiety and depression, and the one thing they need is social contact. If you sign them out of the world of work, their anxiety is going to get worse rather than better.
Around 500,000 of those new claims are attributed to mental health conditions, particularly anxiety and depression. The government has faced internal resistance over plans to tighten benefit assessments.
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