A decline in the population’s mental health could be driving the rise in benefits claims (Image: GETTY)
Since the pandemic, Britain’s mental health has taken a steep downturn, which has now been tied to the rise in disability benefit claims, according to a new report by the .
It found the number of people between 16 and 64 in England and Wales claiming disability benefits has risen by two million since the pandemic, with the main conditions for claims being mental health related.
This, in turn, was also tied to a devastating rise in “deaths of despair” among people of working age. Deaths of despair are usually attributed to issues like suicide, alcohol and drugs. In 2023, there was a rise of 24%, or 3,700 more deaths, than pre-pandemic levels in England and Wales.
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The report highlighted: “There is a strong link between these deaths and mental health issues, so this rise indicates an increase in the incidence of (severe) mental health problems. These deaths were the main driver of overall increases in working-age mortality in 2023.”
Additionally, just last December two million people contacted the NHS mental health services, this included people currently waiting for care and marked a 36% increase since 2019.
In England, the number of people with prescriptions for antidepressants also increased by 12% since 2019 and although researchers noted this could be driven by more awareness and access to mental health services, it’s also disturbingly aligned with benefits and deaths data.
Researchers urged the government to keep this deterioration of the public’s mental health in mind when it comes to deciding on their health and disability Green Paper, as the rising number of deaths of despair could mean it’s no longer a matter of awareness or benefit support.
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Iain Porter, Senior Policy Adviser at the Joseph Rowntree Foundation, urged: “The rise in deaths of despair also shows that reducing stigma does not eliminate the most serious consequences of rising mental ill health.
“This trend is real and growing, and we need our government to look carefully at the health of the nation, rather than relying on benefit cuts to fix the problem.”
Eduin Latimer, a research economist at IFS which joined forces with the Joseph Rowntree Foundation and the Health Foundation to produce the new report, commented on the report. He said: “As well as obviously bad news on their own terms, mental health problems may also be contributing to the rising benefits bill.”
Jo Bibby, Director of Health at the Health Foundation, added: “We are right to be concerned over the worsening mental health of the working-age population, which is increasingly reflected in more people seeking disability benefits.
“The upcoming Green Paper presents an opportunity for the government, employers and businesses to adopt a new approach that supports everyone.”
Iain concluded: “We await the government’s forthcoming Green Paper to see whether it will truly address the underlying causes of increasing poor health. Whether it will help more people stay in work when they are struggling with their health, and whether it will make the move into work safer for people who feel at risk of losing support.”