Health Minister Wes Streeting has warned that doctors are “over-diagnosing” mental health conditions.
Asked if he thought this was a problem, he replied: “I try to follow the evidence and I share that view about overdiagnosis.”
In response to Mr Streeting's comments, mental health charity Mind said it was vital to be “very careful” in the language we use around mental health diagnoses to avoid “stigmatisation”.
“There is another issue: mental wellbeing and illness is a spectrum and I think there is overdiagnosis but too many people are not getting the attention they need and in terms of treatment, too many people are simply not getting the support they need,” he told the BBC's Sunday With Laura Kuenssberg programme.
“So if you can get that support to people much earlier, it will help them either keep their jobs or get back into their jobs.”
Mr Streeting said the UK Government planned to recruit an extra 8,500 mental health staff to cut waiting lists.
Minesh Patel, deputy director of policy and campaigns at Mind, said: “The Secretary of State is absolutely right that not enough people are getting the support they need.
“Mental health waiting lists have been a serious problem for many years and what is needed now is a clear plan from the government on how it intends to tackle this.
“Applying for benefits is not an easy task.
“People with mental health problems have to go through a long and complex assessment process, with decisions to refuse support often being challenged at appeal stage.
“We also need to be very careful about the language we use when diagnosing mental disorders, as this can create a climate of stigmatisation about people’s real experiences and undermine trust in health professionals.
“While there is much work to be done to ensure people have the tools and knowledge to look after their mental health, we must remember that we have lived through a unique pandemic and cost of living crisis.
“We have serious problems in our country with poverty, low-paid and insecure work, and systemic racism. And we have mental health services that are on the brink of collapse.”
Sourse: breakingnews.ie
