To be finding the Labour government really hard on my mental health (ironically given Wes Streeting's latest)

[Everythingisnumbersnow]

Why can't they talk about reforms and improvements without having a go at ordinary people?

Is mental illness over diagnosed (as Streeting claims) or is modern life just really really shit and a lot of us are unwell as a result?

im currently waiting to see a new private psychiatrist because my old one took on an NHS contract and now is totally unusable (no need to even mention the NHS services available, we all know the score there). I work and I don't expect any special treatment but it would be nice if the bloody government stopped slagging me off for trying to remain functional.

Yes they're doing the same across the board. Civil servants voted for them and civil service unions paid for their campaign and they're getting shafted too.

It is possible to make changes, even hard ones, without setting up scapegoats and scaring people who have no alternative.

The country is going to be a lot darker and poorer by the time of the next election (and who the hell will we vote for then).

Well of course there are people who have an acute or chronic mental illness and need professional care. And it's sad that there are bit enough to trained professionals to deal with those patients.

But there are also people who self diagnose, go the GP saying they need signing off with stress or whatever. When actually they are just finding life a bit tough - as most of us do now and again. And the number of those people just seems to be rising. As a society we can't carry that many. We need to find ways to improve people's resilience and therefore their mental health.

It’s clear that there is majority support to sort out the benefits system including a large cutback in PIP and other so-called disability related benefits.

The Tories let this get out of control, because they were corrupt and incompetent.

Let’s see if Labour can fix this. Doubt it, but let’s see.

They're putting hundreds of thousands of people out of work and cutting benefits for over a million. This is the beginning of a completely grim era because they're doing stuff even the Tories were scared to do. And you will still be counting the pennies more and more and more each year as we become a poorer nation

One of the reasons we’re a poorer nation atm is that less and less adults are working and contributing. The bill can’t just keep going up and up without looking at why and how that can be dealt with.

I’m not sure you understand how the economy works.

Perhaps the ICD or DSM are the problem... who knows? I sometimes have psychotic episodes where I think the people under the ground are going to rise up and I'm the only one who can stop them. I am on strong medication for it, but when these episodes happen (i.e. when the GP messes up my repeats or the pharmacy can't source them and I'm without medication for a few days and an episode is triggered) I can't work.

Most employers aren't very understanding of this sort of thing. The medical team has called it bipolar disorder as I also have periods of psychotic depression where the universe is telling me to end it all. Regardless of the label (bipolar, manic depression etc) until they invent a job where I can have 6 months a year off sick I'm going to have to keep making pennies in the gig economy until AI takes all my work.

I am ineligible for benefits as my illness is episodic so I am very underemployed and mostly living off DH as I really can't work very much and there's no help for me.

To me, this whole spiel about "overdiagnosis" needs to be separated from the stuff about benefits because they're two distinctive issues. A diagnosis of a MH disorder doesn't magically lead to benefits, especially PIP, it's all about what you can/can't do on a list and whether they think your illness is going to last longer than a certain period of time.

Do you think that people who don't work now are going to suddenly develop life skills to do so? Would you like your elderly mother cared for by someone in that situation? Or do you think they're going to magically become tech entrepreneurs?

Pip is a benefit used to support disabled people to carry out basic activities (including access work). Cutting it will remove people from the workplace.

And I don't know if you've tried to find a job recently but... They've dried up. And as above several hundred thousand unemployed are about to be hitting the streets begging for something.

This is just hyperbolic. It makes the whole point nonsensical.

Their attacks on sen won't go down well. They've forgotten that sen people belong to all classes, and there are members of his own parliament who are angry

The attacks will come to universal credit for disabled people I think

I'm terrified but glad I didn't vote Labour as I knew this would happen. I voted Green instead.

Just like the tories before them 😡

I’m afraid ‘being sad’ is no excuse for not contributing to society via employment

Depression and anxiety is overdiagnosed at the GP. A general lack of resilience and feelings of overwhelm are often treated with SSRIs which lead to long term dependency while nothing actually changes leading to long term diagnosis and care.

That’s not to say that the problems aren’t very real to the person suffering but the treatment should be a combination approach of lifestyle changes, facing difficulties, therapy, and medication but all the NHS can ever offer quickly are the pills.

And what does that have to do with pretending that mental health conditions don't exist? You can treat people with basic compassion and respect regardless. Well, one can, seems you personally would prefer not to.

Amazing - where did you get your neurology postdoc??

I've got some great news for you. Being sad isn't a medical diagnosis.

I don't disagree with your opinion, but adhd isn't a mental illness - though undiagnosed adhd can indeed result in mental health problems. Sadly, I have personal experience of both (asd dd and adhd ds).

Do you think that people who don't work now are going to suddenly develop life skills to do so?

Many will be able to if they’re supported in doing so with active programmes rather than just being written off, particularly the young, yes.

And I don't know if you've tried to find a job recently but... They've dried up.

Businesses in just about every sector here, NW coast, have permanent “we are recruiting” banners up.

OP, it’s because of the over diagnosis and self diagnosis of certain conditions that people with mental health conditions find it so difficult to get help.

People have no resilience any more. Nobody is a bit nervous - they have anxiety. Nobody is a bit down - they’re suffering from depression. The younger generation dip out of any and everything they don’t want to do because “mental health.” It’s become a trend which means that people who have genuine problems have been lumped in among those who don’t actually know what being down or a bit nervous is because TikTok and the like have labelled it.

Similar with neurodiversity. People tell you “I am neurodiverse” without ever having had a diagnosis. They doesn’t mean that they aren’t, of course it doesn’t, but it has become trendy to suffer from ADHD or be “on the spectrum.”

In fact people who are genuinely mentally ill should to an extent be welcoming these sorts of changes, because perhaps then you will be taken more seriously.

You’re incredibly aggressive, OP. Lots of posters have genuinely tried to engage, you just try to shout them down.

And what is supportive about telling people that they're perfectly fine when they're not?

The SEN 'system' is in desperate need of Reform, which I would welcome. Sadly, from some of the rumours I've heard about what 'reform' may entail, I have some serious concerns about their impact. Some feel like a massive backward step. And when I've contacted my (Labour) MP to discuss it further, I received a stock response which didn't answer any of my questions.

Streeting is not wrong. Our benefits bill is absurdly high and is not sustainable. Nobody is denying that the disabled should be supported but the sheer number of people claiming benefits for their mental health is ridiculous and the system needs a serious overhaul. Having anxiety and depression should not be a free pass to avoid working

Go on I’ll bite.. you don’t think you come across insanely aggressive in this thread?

there’s literally nothing trolly about the person you quoted.

I’ve said this before I’m sure - I do sort of agree.

Not that mental health conditions are over diagnosed because they aren’t.

People can be struggling at a time in their life and need access to support but that’s not the same as having an actual mental health condition.

However I believe he is taking this stance not because he believes it - but that it gives the chance to chop chop and cut off the minimal support already available. And - mental health condition or situational depression these people DO need support.

For which reason I think he is a a monumental arsehole and that it will cause more problems than it solves.

More people will deteriorate. This will put pressure on police, A and E and secondary care services. As well as prisons.

It will push people further into poverty as someone who is unstable is not an ideal employee. This will increase other problems such as alcohol abuse and drug abuse as people self medicate. As well as crime rates that go with that.

Any children with parents with problems will also suffer more than they do already. low educational outcomes. After all if you come home and have to do the cooking, the laundry and take care of your sisters because mum is sleeping off a drug binge you aren’t going to care much about times tables.

And down and down we go.