Hundreds of General Practitioners (GPs) across England have expressed concerns over the potential over-diagnosis of mental health issues, in a survey conducted by the BBC. Many suggest that normal life stresses are increasingly being medicalized, though there is also anxiety about the challenges in accessing appropriate care for those genuinely in need.
Earlier this week, the Health Secretary called for an independent review to explore why there is rising demand for mental health services, including those for ADHD and autism, and to identify existing support gaps.
The BBC News survey, targeting over 5,000 GPs in England, sought insights into their experiences dealing with patients experiencing mental health challenges. From the 752 respondents, 442 indicated that they saw over-diagnosis as a pressing issue. More of these GPs felt that mental health problems were over-diagnosed to a small extent rather than a large one. Meanwhile, 81 respondents highlighted a concern for under-diagnosis.
The issues GPs face extend beyond over-diagnosis. Several expressed frustration over the scarcity of support services for their patients. The survey allowed GPs to leave anonymous comments, revealing a recurrent theme: many believe that life’s usual stressors are wrongly categorized as illnesses. One GP remarked, "Life being stressful is not an illness," while another criticized the trend of medicalizing life's emotional challenges, warning that it drains resources from individuals with severe needs.
Concerns were not universal, with some GPs critical of particular patients, calling them "dishonest" or "narcissistic," and accused them of exploiting the free healthcare system. Overall, data from NHS England indicates that one in five adults in England suffers from a common mental health condition, with rates even higher in youths.
The GPs surveyed identified individuals aged 19-34 as requiring significant mental health support, citing a perceived decline in resilience since the Covid-19 pandemic and a predilection for diagnoses over developing coping mechanisms. However, dissenting voices within the surveyed group argued that the primary issue remains under-diagnosis.
With nearly 40,000 fully qualified GPs in England, the survey cannot be assumed to represent the views of all family doctors. GPs with over five years in practice reported an increase in time dedicated to mental health cases. Contributing factors include a lack of quality external mental health support, socio-economic issues affecting mental well-being, and misperceptions of normal life challenges as mental health issues.
While Health Secretary Wes Streeting previously stated that mental health conditions are over-diagnosed, leading to many being "written off," he later acknowledged the complexity of the situation, calling his earlier remarks "divisive." Current estimates suggest that around 2.5 million people in England have ADHD, inclusive of those undiagnosed.