To agree with Wes Streeting's statement that MH issues are overdiagnosed?

[Locutus2000]

Pretty controversial stuff.

Who decides?

I doubt it. There so is a high threshold and it needs to impact life significantly. Also traits can go up and down in severity throughout life and some traits might have higher difficulties than others. It’s impossible to quantify.

It’s now coming to light that ADHD gets you PIP and a motability BMW.

No wonder the public opinion is going against these endless benefits.

I agree.
there are people suffering from significant mental health issues who need hospitalisation and can’t get a bed. Then they harm themselves or others.
meanwhile there are significant numbers who have anxiety or depression, not at clinical threshold, who can’t work. Why?
They say it makes them anxious. Work makes me anxious but I have to get through it.
stop benefits for anything that is not a significant diagnosed psychotic illness.
we cannot support the number of people claiming

Don’t think he has said Autism and adhd are over diagnosed. It’s just some MNers think they are MH conditions. 🙄

But I agree with the rest of your post. Some keyboard warriors think they know better than highly trained and skilled nhs staff. 😂

YANBU.

I have a friend who went through a breakup at age 20. It was the end of her world, as far as she was concerned, and she got diagnosed with anxiety and depression as a result. She’ll regularly go and get signed off sick to get two weeks off without using annual leave, and because it’s not a physical condition her work cant say anything about her being out and about

Clinical threshold- define that!

Yes. If everyone decided they had cancer because they had a pain I'd say the same thing. GPs are overdiagnosing people, they either need more training or newer guidelines on how to differentiate between normal human behaviour and illnesses.

That’s hysterical- no it doesn’t.

Well. Given Prozac & the like is given out like sweeties I’m not surprised .
I never go to GP. But went about something mundane and was immediately prescribed some. I’ve never had a follow up, never been to collect them, and never taken them… I feel like the diagnosis are through the roof as a plaster to a lack of time to spend with patients.

People have no resilience anymore. Working with younger people, if you are anxious about a perfectly normal situation it’s diagnosed as anxiety. If you feel a bit low you have depression. I think it’s harmful for those that do have those conditions (for openness I don’t) we seem to want to diagnose everything rather than acknowledging a level of emotion is normal.

On the other hand those with actual mental health issues find it hard to receive a diagnosis.

You may not feel comfortable to hear this but lots of SALTs, doctors, clinicial psychologists, psychiatrists and consultants are continuing to raise concerns about this. Supported by teachers, social workers, HCP etc.

Particularly about the lack of division between those who are ND and high functioning and other clients.

I didn’t say our dear minister says that.
I was answering to @BigBellyBob who yes think these conditions are over diagnosed. Keyboard warriors as you said

I agree. Many people have MH issues, undiagnosed in previous years. But many people call normal emotions MH issues, which they just aren't, is just normal, eg normal anxiety.

Young people don't have anything to look forward to. Who are you to tell them they lack resilience? You had a future when you were that age.

These threads are always full of people who clearly have no personal experience of mental ill-health claiming that people with anxiety are just feeble snowflakes who can't cope with everyday feelings. How many times has the phrase "pathologising normal emotions" been used on this thread already?

I have two autistic DC also diagnosed with anxiety disorders (social anxiety, selective mutism and OCD). One can hardly attend school and barely leaves the house. There is no support available. My elder DC has been rejected by CAMHS twice - first time to suggest a neurodevelopmemtal assessment, second time because she'd been diagnosed with autism and apparently they can't support autistic kids. Their anxiety is caused by being autistic. However, mention a teen with anxiety to anyone and you'll increasingly get an eye-roll.

If you've lived through years of mental ill health as a young person, your life chances will be negatively affected. Less chance of getting good exam grades or being able to find a job. Autistic adults with no learning disability are nine times more likely to die by suicide than other adults. But instead of looking at how to change the education and workplace environments to support ND people and others with mental ill health so they can lead fulfilling lives, better to just spread the idea that most of these people don't actually have any real difficulties and just need to "be more resilient".

Look at how support for children with additional needs is being withdrawn in the US. Is that what Wes Streeting is aiming for?

We have had numbers of people signed off work with stress. No clinical diagnosis but gone on for months. Stress is a condition that can disable and can lead to clincial depression and anxiety but there are times when this is not the diagnosis

And I have absolutely no issue with that. Guidelines need to reviewed, things adjusted etc….

But that’s not what we’re talking about here - a pov from professionals with real knowledge of the subject.
(Btw teachers, social workers etc… are not HCP and shouldn’t be involved in reviewing medical guidelines. Just likevthey wouldnt be involved with reviewing guidelines fur cancer)

We’re talking about fandoms who’ve decided ND/depression etc… is over diagnosed. Usually because ‘young people lack resilience these days’ or ‘there wasn’t so many people with ND in my days’.

They really aren’t .

They are the ones doing the diagnosis, know there is no “high functioning autism” and are the ones having to deal with the horrendous fallout that comes with autism and adhd- the eating disorders, self medication, self harm, suicide attempts, huge struggles with communication and handling emotions, the anxiety, depression, struggles to hold down work….

They are the ones pushing for reasonable adjustments and better support. They are the ones who feel like shit because they can’t help their client base .

Oh so you’re talking about stress.

Stress won’t get you PIP

It’s not controversial to understand that in any environment where a diagnosis is incentivised in any manner, then individuals will act accordingly and seek diagnosis heavily.

So you don’t know for sure.

Sometimes I think there should be an option to let people out of life. There has always been an expectation that you should do x and y as that is the correct way to live your life (for society and your own happiness) but now we are more cynical. For one, religion isn't a big thing, though it was a great tool to control people and make them think they should live their lives a certain way/not end their own lives. Secondly we can see how other people live and hear the experiences of others which dispels the notion that there is any one path to happiness or that it, or even contentment can even be achieved.

For many of us living just doesn't seem worth it. I wonder what the point is in being resilient so I can make money for stakeholders and live a life I have no enjoyment in? Doesn't make sense right?

@NapT1meby clinical threshold I mean meeting the diagnostic threshold. You can be sad or you can have clinical depression.
unfortunately people reporting stress who then get months off work are not suffering from GAD but are anxious and could do with more coping skills. It’s different and we cannot afford to keep supporting the walking worried.

I havent mentioned PIP, Im talking about being signed off work. Why are you talking about PIP?

They are where I work, professionals are becoming more and more vocal about it in multi agency meetings when talking about childrens presenting behaviours and needs. On more than one occasion psychiatrists who have diagnosed children many years ago and seen them grow older have talked about how they may not have made that diagnosis now for them and are not sure if that is considered accurate.