Mental Health Conditions Overdiagnosed, Says Health Secretary

The Institute for Fiscal Studies says 3.9 million 16- to 64-year-olds are getting health-related benefits, one in 10 of the working-aged population.

Health Secretary Wes Streeting arrives at BBC Broadcasting House in London, England, on March 16, 2025. Stefan Rousseau/PA Wire

There is an overdiagnosis of mental health conditions and too many people are being “written off,” Health Secretary Wes Streeting has said.

When asked whether he agreed with experts who have said that there has been an overdiagnosis in mental health conditions, the minister told the BBC’s Laura Kuenssberg on Sunday, “I want to follow the evidence, and I agree with that point about over diagnosis.”