Surge in ‘mental illness’ just strain of normal life, GPs warn

The stresses and strains of normal life are being mislabelled as mental health problems, say GPs.

A survey of 1,000 family doctors found that 84 per cent believe everyday pressures were being over-medicalised.

The Centre for Social Justice (CSJ) think-tank, which commissioned the poll, warned that the soaring numbers being flagged with mental health disorders could leave those in genuine need struggling to get help.

Antidepressants were also being prescribed too easily, despite known difficulties in coming off the drugs, the CSJ said.

‘Misunderstood mental ill-health is the leaky bucket draining the nation, it’s a leading driver of economic inactivity,’ the CSJ’s Sophia Worringer added.

‘No amount of government initiatives to tackle the symptoms of a stagnating economy, flatlining productivity or the anxious generation will fix the problem unless the leaks are plugged.’

Analysis has also revealed the toll of under-18s admitted to hospital wards with mental health concerns has increased by two-thirds in a decade. The study, in The Lancet Child & Adolescent Health journal, showed mental health admissions for under-18s rose from 24,198 a year in 2012 to 39,925 in 2022. Critics are concerned social media is fuelling a rise in people self-diagnosing mental health and anxiety disorders, leading to growing demand for drugs and other treatments.

Psychologist Lucy Foulkes said efforts to increase awareness about mental health problems could be leading some to diagnose themselves inaccurately when they have mild problems. But Marjorie Wallace, chief executive of mental health charity Sane, said thousands of callers, 60 per cent, report self-harm and suicidal thoughts, which was ‘a total change from 20 years ago’.

She added that those self-diagnosing must be taken seriously, ‘recognising it could be a sign of the early need for help’.