Do you agree with Tony?

[Icanthinkformyselfthanks]

Tony Blair has said this :-
“'I think we have become very, very focused on mental health and with people self-diagnosing.
'We're spending vastly more on mental health now than we did a few years ago. And it's hard to see what the objective reasons for that are.”
A dear friend of my mother’s suffered terribly with mental health issues all her life even resorting to brain shockwave therapy. I have had my own long standing battle with depression as has my younger son. We have both battled with the help of antidepressants to regain control of our mental health (remaining working throughout) and won both now living drug free and largely happily given the ups and downs life deals us all. My husband had an anxiety induced breakdown when he retired and we moved house at the same time. I definitely understand that mental health issues are real but I think Tony has a point. He thinks and I agree that an increasing number of people are a bit too quick to claim their mental health prevents them from working and they are making a huge impact on the cost of benefits alongside not contributing to the economy.
So what do you think? Has there genuinely been a massive increase in those with mental health issues or have perhaps some people become so dependent that they don’t even try to cope with normal life?

It’s an interesting one. Growing up I hadn’t heard of psychology or depression. Those days ‘nerves’ or ‘nervous breakdown’ were sometimes used.

Life is for most of us much harder than we expect. If the goal we chase is to be happy that is doomed as happiness is a transient emotion… same as if we are sore, sad, ecstatic, angry, upset etc - all are for moments and ebb/flow as we make our way through life. Best we can aim for is inner contentment.

So first step towards contentment is realising that it takes all colours to paint a picture and accepting the good and the bad in the same hand. Some of our great experiences later might lead to bad outcomes and vice versa, if some of our worst hadn’t happened - exactly the way they did we wouldn’t be where we are now etc.

Everyone is different, for me any time I felt severely depressed it was usually reactive, and so was for a bloody good reason, anti-depressants not for me either so to get through would get in the trenches with that pain, be extra kind to myself when I could be but mostly I would think, cry, ruminate and repeat - over and over until eventually, it ends up feeling like it happened to someone else as can talk about it without breaking… a bit like when you’re going through hell keep going kinda thing. Writing, helping others (that’s a big one), dark sense of humour, knowing it will pass (eventually) all helped too.

As a single Mum at times had no option but to work through it. Didn’t have luxury to take to bed. Often going in to work on no sleep having cried all night but guess I think now - warrior women aren’t born they’re made.

If I had one wish for DC it wouldn’t be that they never face pain or hardship - that is part of life - it would be that when they do they are resilient and have the tools and fortitude to keep putting one foot in front of the other knowing it will pass, and accepting even when we can’t change our situation we can always change our attitude towards it.

All that said, everyone is different and when likes of Tony Blair says it given his elite globalist institute can guess that is aimed more at cutting welfare payments of those who are struggling rather than making work pay…or any real concern about mental health trends!

I'm not sure Tony's upbringing and experiences in his formative years make him the best person to comment tbh. Many who have come from difficult or abusive backgrounds will be more likely to have mental health problems. I would question whether he can comprehend what that's like.

I have had mental health issues for 25 years. I agree with Tony Blair.
Whilst the initial encouraging media stuff about openness about mental health was useful it has, in a way similar to other issues, swung the pendulum too far in the other direction and made mental health issues such as anxiety and ocd fashionable. Both terms have become almost meaningless as people say they “have anxiety” when what they are really referring to is normal worry about normal stuff or “I’m so ocd” when they just mean they are a bit picky or like a tidy house.
I find it insulting as it minimises the genuine and serious issues faced by those of us diagnosed with the conditions. It encourages misunderstanding from the public in general.
As regards self diagnosis, many people seem to think that listening to a celebrity or watching some social media thing qualifies them to decide they have a condition.
The demand on services is already under enormous pressure. Adding in the “worried well” adds to the load.
I was recently diagnosed with autism at the age of 57. My psychiatrist and psychologist suggested it and I was quite resistant to the idea initially as I didn’t think that was correct. But I fully accept it now.
I find I am very cautious about telling anyone, not because I am in any way embarrassed but because the world and their dog seems to be autistic all of a sudden and I don’t want anybody to think I have, sheeplike, jumped on the bandwagon.