One million more people cite mental health battle
LONDON: A million more people say they are struggling to function because of poor mental health than three years ago, making it the leading cause of disability among working-age adults.
Official figures show that almost half of working-age adults with a disability now cite mental health as a cause, intensifying anxiety about the growing toll of ill health on the economy.
Mel Stride, the work and pensions secretary, faced criticism on Thursday for saying that Britain was “labelling the normal ups and downs of human life as medical conditions” and that openness about mental health has “gone too far”.
However, he is said to be unrepentant, seeing it as vital to have an “honest debate” about the causes of soaring levels of mental illness and its impact on the benefits bill.
There are a record 2.7 million people off work with long-term illness, and the cost of sickness benefits for those of working age is projected to rise from £41 billion to £69 billion before the end of this decade. Figures published last week showed that two thirds of incapacity benefit claims cited mental ill health, and 20,000 people a month were being deemed incapable of work as a result.
