Emotional lows are distinct from mental illnesses
In a significant move, Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson has announced new guidance for schools aimed at addressing the rising trend of mental health benefit claims among young adults. This change comes as the cost of sickness benefits is projected to reach an alarming £64 billion by the end of 2025, with over 2.8 million people currently off work due to long-term sickness, a figure that has increased by 700,000 since the Covid-19 pandemic.
The new guidance, which marks a departure from the therapeutic ethos that has dominated schools for decades, aims to balance support for children's mental health with resilience building and community involvement. This shift is motivated by Phillipson's desire to reduce the rising costs of sickness benefits linked to mental health, particularly among young adults.
The therapeutic approach to education in the UK, which emphasizes raising awareness of children's mental health and promoting emotional resilience through school-based interventions, has both positive intentions and unintended consequences. On one hand, programmes like classroom-based cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) and interpersonal therapy adapted to the school curriculum have shown gains in reducing symptoms of depression and promoting psychological wellbeing among 5-16 year olds. However, this approach has also been criticized for fostering an excessive focus on vulnerability and mental health crises, potentially heightening anxiety and lowering resilience in children.
The new guidance urges schools to reassure students that "worrying and feeling down" are normal and do not equate to mental illnesses, reflecting recognition that the previous approach may have pathologized normal emotions and life challenges. The UK government's strategy involves embedding a whole-school approach to mental health and wellbeing, including teaching social and emotional skills, resilience, and providing targeted support, all aimed at improving children’s mental health and enabling better educational and life outcomes.
This shift in approach comes as the number of children referred to mental-health specialists in England has doubled since 2017, with over a million children referred in 2024. Critics argue that the emphasis on therapeutic education and the heightened awareness (or medicalisation) of mental health issues from childhood may contribute to increased identification of mental health problems. This, combined with media and political amplification of a supposed "mental health emergency," has correlated with a surge in referrals to specialist mental health services.
However, not all young people benefit equally from the therapeutic approach. Those in vulnerable settings such as care homes report mixed experiences with mental health support services—some feeling supported, others feeling judged or lacking real help. The UK Department of Education continues to promote an evidence-based, holistic mental health strategy aiming to balance support with resilience building and community involvement.
The debate remains active regarding how to best support children's mental health without causing overmedicalization or dependency on mental health benefits in adulthood. A 2022 report by former children's commissioner Anne Longfield warned that the 'mental-health emergency' among young people had become severe, threatening Britain's future prosperity. Reversing the trend of rising sickness benefits could save taxpayers £19.5 billion each year by 2030, while boosting the wider economy by £62.6 billion.
In summary, while the therapeutic approach to education in the UK has improved access to mental health promotion and some interventions, it also appears linked to an increase in mental health diagnoses and benefit claims among young adults, partly due to the framing of vulnerability and mental health crises in education. The government's new guidance aims to temper this approach, promoting normalizing emotions while continuing targeted support.
- In the realm of political discussions, the UK government is contemplating the implications of free speech as it pertains to addressing the cultural shift in schools, where the emphasis on mental health can sometimes heighten anxiety and reduce resilience.
- As the cost of health-and-wellness benefits linked to mental health continues to rise, with science revealing its impact on productivity and economic growth, society is grappling with the balance between promoting mental health and cultivating resilience in children.
- Amidst the ongoing debate about the appropriate approach to supporting young people's mental health, cancel culture has surfaced as a growing concern, with some arguing that the heightened focus on mental health in education and media may contribute to an overmedicalization of normal emotions and life challenges.
