4 ms·

Medicalising everyday life doesn’t help anyone’s mental health

• ziddoap 7y ago
  Interesting read addressing something that is certainly a problem, I think. I would comment on the following, however: "The proportion of sickness benefit claims made in relation to a mental health problem more than doubled in the period from 1995 to 2014 (from 21% to 46%), while more than 40% of absences among the employed are attributed to mental health problems." The author uses the cited figures to show how much of an increase we have had in mental health issues, despite the increase in anti-depressants. One facet not mentioned, however, is the changing culture and reduction in stigma in relation to mental health. The conclusion of the article cited says, in part, this: "Claimants with other conditions fell by 35%." Which would lead one to believe that perhaps a significant portion of the "new" mental health related sick leave may always have been mental health, but now instead of having to lie about the reason, people are more willing to admit that they need the time for mental health.