Thousands of people in the UK are deemed unable to work every month due to mental health problems, figures show.
Official data published by the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) shows at least 20,000 claims for incapacity benefits due to mental health problems, accounting for more than two-thirds of all claims.
Previous statistics show that mental health and learning disabilities are among the main drivers of disability benefits, which are paid regardless of whether a person is able to work or not. But until now there has been no such data on incapacity payments, which are paid through Universal Credit when people are unable to work.
DWP figures show two million people are on universal health benefits, an increase of 400,000 a year, and 69% of them are deemed unfit for any work.
Of all evaluations conducted in the past two years, 69% included “mental and behavioral disorders.” Back and joint problems were cited in 48% of claims, while neurological conditions such as chronic pain and metabolic problems such as diabetes and obesity were cited in 15% each.
More than 20% of cases cite heart disease or other circulatory or gastrointestinal disorders. Cancer and some terminal illnesses are believed to be underrepresented in the data and do not yet cover all claims.
Claimants have an average health status of 2.7, and experts warn there is no quick fix for skyrocketing benefits as a result of increasingly complex illnesses. Officials stress that the data does not distinguish which is the main driver of the disease.
Christopher Locks, from the Health Foundation think tank, said the data “confirms the growing importance of mental health to people’s ability to work.”
“The disease is causing an increase in the number of people receiving unemployment benefits, which is having a serious impact on the economy,” he said, calling for “individual support” rather than a government crackdown on job seekers.
“Some of the recent government actions are steps in the right direction, but there is potential for further progress at scale,” he said. “However, measures that limit benefit eligibility for people with work-limiting health conditions risk backfiring.”
Nir Güzelgün, from mental health charity Mind, said there were 1.9 million people on the NHS waiting list for mental health treatment, and the data “highlights the urgent need for mental health support”. said.
“People would want to work if they had the mental health support they need, but that support simply isn’t there,” she says. “If people want to get back to work, they need to be offered personalized support from professionals, rather than the threat of losing the little money they currently have to survive.”
A DWP spokesperson said: “Our ground-breaking welfare reforms will reduce the number of people eligible for the top tier of disability benefits by more than 370,000 and replace them with personalized support while , our Work Opportunity Guarantee will enable people to try their hand at work without obstacles.” Fear of losing benefits. ”
