Former Health Secretary Sir Jeremy Hunt has warned that the UK risks “over-medicalising” everyday life events such as bereavement and job loss, cautioning against a growing trend of signing people off work with anxiety and depression.
Speaking at the Buxton Literary Festival, the former Chancellor said he believed the country had gone too far in medicalising normal human experiences, as welfare claims linked to mental health continue to rise.
“Everyone has trauma – bereavements, sometimes losing their jobs. That is not the same as mental illness,” Hunt said. “I think it’s immoral we are signing off 3,000 people a day saying they don’t have to look for work.”
Hunt, who served as Health Secretary from 2012 to 2018, highlighted that many of those receiving fit notes for mental health conditions would benefit more from social contact and routine than isolation.
“The majority of those have anxiety and depression, and the one thing they need is social contact. If you sign them out of the world of work, their anxiety is going to get worse rather than better.”
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