Health Secretary Wes Streeting’s comments that there is an “overdiagnosis” of some mental health conditions has prompted experts to warn against stigmatising and punishing people www.theguardian.com/society/2025... - ThreadSky

peterstefanovic.bsky.social • 4 days ago

Health Secretary Wes Streeting’s comments that there is an “overdiagnosis” of some mental health conditions has prompted experts to warn against stigmatising and punishing people

https://www.theguardian.com/society/2025/mar/16/experts-criticise-streeting-saying-mental-health-problems-overdiagnosed

Comments

bedrocm.bsky.social•4 days ago

Isn’t the problem the lack of mental health professionals?

semaleena.bsky.social•4 days ago

Yes it is

effraroad.bsky.social•4 days ago

Streeting needs to go. He's the wrong person for that job.

semaleena.bsky.social•4 days ago

Are they also over diagnosing physical conditions, you gonna follow this up with all the over diagnoses of cancer are you, is it all in our heads

No because that sounds fcking ridiculous doesn’t it

He’s absolutely repugnant

MH is just nothing, just get on with it FCK OFF YOU SMALL MAN 🤬🤬🤬🤬

semaleena.bsky.social•4 days ago

Are we over diagnosed… are we

Oh ok then, I’ll stop taking my meds I’ve taken for 30 years

Thanks mate, wow you’ve solved all our problems

Wow

I give up 🤬🤬🤬🤬🤬🤬🤬🤬

teresalfenton.bsky.social•4 days ago

How does he know this to be true?
Prove it to us.

steveheartswork.bsky.social•4 days ago

I think narcissism and anti-social personality disorders are under diagnosed in politicians. Both conditions are characterised by lying and lack of empathy. I think there is far more obvious evidence for this proposition than Wes Streeting has for his musings of about over-diagnosis

pankoza.bsky.social•4 days ago

Wes is the British equivalent of RFK Jr.

howitisnow.bsky.social•4 days ago

There is definitely an underdiagnosis of mental health problems within politics.
I thought we were over the worst of that, at least in Government.
Now I'm not so sure.

4017xan.bsky.social•4 days ago

He can say this with perfect confidence because of his qualifications as a mental health professional.

ver-bat-man.bsky.social•4 days ago

Streeting really is a bit of a wanker. I've spent my entire working life under people like him. That's why I'm currently unable to work.

brexitbin.bsky.social•4 days ago

I'm so sick of Streeting. He's another English political automaton who confuses a lack of empathy with strength. Virtually every other comment he makes plays directly into the hands of the far-right.

siry4ever.bsky.social•4 days ago

This will only play into Reforms hand. I can't see Labour winning the next election at this rate.

aaronautist.bsky.social•4 days ago

Me either. It’s like watching a car crash in slow motion.

aaronautist.bsky.social•4 days ago

Absolutely. Starmer’s cabinet of mealy-mouthed sociopaths is going to get us nothing but starvation, pain, and death of the sick, poor and disabled. And as a consequence they’re leaving the door wide open for far-right populism and fascism.

yrotitna.bsky.social•4 days ago

Tbh he already acts like he is far right.

biteback13.bsky.social•4 days ago

He's a true blue tory

womblingeast.bsky.social•4 days ago

As someone who worked in MH for many years, if anything, there is under-diagnosis and very rudimentary care, in the form of medication and a few sessions of therapy. For people who bathe in undiluted bleach. Who are in fact still working… He’s my mp…

w1rral.bsky.social•4 days ago

“Experts” have to say that but the reality will be that some doctors tend to diagnose their patient to maximise the care they receive from the state. I’m not saying patients don’t need care, but there will be a tendency to over rather than under diagnose.

darksatanicmills.bsky.social•4 days ago

Though he *was* repeatedly asked the question by Laura Kuenssberg.

2300.bsky.social•4 days ago

Bull in a china shop is Wes. Hope he listens.
Meanwhile,he's getting on with one of the biggest overhauls to health the UK has seen in years.

purelikegreen.bsky.social•4 days ago

Increasing levels of diagnosis does not imply 'overdiagnosis'. You wouldn't say dementia is overdiagnosed! Overdiagnosis implies that doctors are getting it wrong. Surely more doctors should be up in arms about their diagnostic capability being impugned?

chrisdg.bsky.social•4 days ago

When child mental health services have been starved of resources for 15 years, there is no surprise that we have more adults with MH conditions. Access to MH care is so difficult that it is probable that MI is under diagnosed

semaleena.bsky.social•4 days ago

You know there Fck all adult MH services too, it’s all fcked

thereunderneath.bsky.social•4 days ago

First Streeting came for the trans kids, I did not have a trans kid so I did not speak up.

Then Streeting came for the disabled, I was not disabled so I did not speak up.

Then Streeting came for those with mental health issues…..

It’s foul. Labour going after least capable to fight back.

thereunderneath.bsky.social•4 days ago

Anyone citing this is a green paper it was not policy. Etc etc.

You’ve no idea what stress & uncertainty do to the conditions these people face.

Stress worsens chronic conditions like nothing else. It can set you back years!

So Labour have just set people back even if this doesn’t go through.

davyboy72.bsky.social•4 days ago

His backers from private healthcare have obviously realised there's no profit to be made from mental health conditions, so they've ordered their puppet to downplay it.

He's just a tory masquerading as a labour man, not to be trusted with the NHS.

stevejwright.bsky.social•4 days ago

Wes Streeting has no more background or qualifications in medicine than I do, and I'm not criticizing any doctor's diagnoses. Perhaps he should think about what's causing the rise in mental illnesses like depression. ("Politicians like Wes Streeting" might be one answer.)

sujones.bsky.social•4 days ago

And the cruel and humiliating treatment they are planning for disabled people when benefits are cut is going to add to the issues of depression, anxiety, desperation, etc.

chrisarundel.bsky.social•4 days ago

Wes Streeting’s qualifications in the area of mental illness are?

jameelr69.bsky.social•4 days ago

About the same as his qualifications in everything else. Noticeably absent.

rochyb.bsky.social•4 days ago

When I heard this I immediately emailed him asking that. As far as I know, he has never trained as a doctor and then further specialised in psychiatry. His assertion would be laughable if it was some bloke down the pub but he has a huge power to influence some peoples thinking and prejudices

stevewilliams87.bsky.social•4 days ago

What a cunt

johnbhoy1964.bsky.social•3 days ago

And your union tells Scots that this is what is best for us

pckenny.bsky.social•4 days ago

Populism has many faces.

chopperholic.bsky.social•4 days ago

We have a son who lives with Prader Willi Syndrome which has a mental health component. I'd rather be hearing phrases from this govt like "supporting people with difficulties to become full members of society " rather than " over diagnosis "...

auld-boy.bsky.social•4 days ago

How is he qualified to know that anyway. Is he saying the Dr's don't know what they're doing or are purposefully misdiagnosing people.

sisterhooduk.bsky.social•4 days ago

In a country where most people live from paycheque to paycheque, forget one payment for anything and they’re rubbing their hands with glee to put you deeper into debt while they profiteer from it. And don’t get me started on the cost of return to office. No wonder people are more unwell than ever.

rach58.bsky.social•4 days ago

I find those comments stigmatising,
Living with a mental health diagnosis is very challenging (I have PTSD, stress and anxiety)
More care and empathy should be taken

asparagusnextleft.bsky.social•4 days ago

That's Dr Wesley Streeting MD, Phd, expert in mental illnesses to you, plebs.

paisliegiraffe.bsky.social•4 days ago

Wait until he finds out just exactly how fucking crazy we can all be.

chloew1656.bsky.social•4 days ago

ONE MONTH AGO I wrote this. Never thought it would be a labour government that would push it...
https://bsky.app/profile/chloew1656.bsky.social/post/3lhkmnfssvc2y

chloew1656.bsky.social•4 days ago

Wes Streeting is a Trojan horse into the labour movement for far right think tank talking points.

ada-l.bsky.social•4 days ago

He didn't say that though, she did. He said too many people are ‘written off’.

whysocialmedia.bsky.social•3 days ago

This is why people can't get an appointment is it, all that overdiagnosis? Wes is truly awful.

whysocialmedia.bsky.social•3 days ago

It would be a full-time job, fact-checking Wes, but I think he doesn't care. All he wants is to be in the headlines.

lalawo74.bsky.social•4 days ago

Absolutely no medical training or experience but gaun yersel, Wes, you tell doctors how they're doing it wrong.

y0h0h0.bsky.social•4 days ago

This labour lot are scapegoating the most vulnerable in society. The Tories must be laughing their heads off. We are losing a historic opportunity to eradicate poverty and properly invest in our society. Austerity is a right wing scam that Labour is too stupid to call out.

outreachjoe.bsky.social•4 days ago

Deacdes in drugs, alcohol & homelessness wrk, awful 2 see a medicalisation of apathy, mental health struggles, the gap between aspiration & reality. Its the pressure of unreal TV lifes, poverty, rich/poor chasm, & housing crisis. Mend this, mend benefits. Or punish the poor. 2% Tax on über rich now!

jontybeeswax.bsky.social•4 days ago

Is he qualified to say what "over diagnosis" actually means? Or is this just the typical "vibes" based statement that we get from right-wing* politicians these days?

*Had enough of Labour ministers acting like Tories. Time to call them what they are.

smokeandwax.bsky.social•4 days ago

Overdiagnosis does happen; I had two oncologists diagnose me with brain cancer last year - that was an interesting six weeks. I came out of it after another doctor proved I didn't - maybe Wes should look into providing more access to mental health professionals.

mrsmalone.bsky.social•4 days ago

Labour no more….

bosalls.bsky.social•4 days ago

See also someone on #SkyPapers last night equating mental health problems with being nervous before an exam & thus a long-standing fact of life that you just need to get on with.

llamalady.bsky.social•4 days ago

My son is 21 in June, he’s still waiting for his CAMH’s referral from when he was 16! The system is broken!

llamalady.bsky.social•4 days ago

How’s about dealing with the issues causing the anxiety and depression, causing mental health issues first, then supporting people back into supportive working environments?

jbatterson7.bsky.social•4 days ago

Seriously there is plenty of mental health conditions in this administration.

stinkybiscuits.bsky.social•4 days ago

As a MHFAider and MHFAider Instructor, I find this incredibly damaging and disappointing. Someone with little or no qualifications able to spout this sets things back further. I genuinely hope he and his loved ones never become unwell. For us on the ground, it emboldens those pushing back.

stinkybiscuits.bsky.social•4 days ago

Why not look at keeping people well? It's easier to target those who are ill. Lazy is the only word.

stacy-clouds.net•4 days ago

I knew that labour were basically conservatives in red livery. But as bad as I expected them to be, they are proving themselves even worse... They are more right wing than Torys were in the 90s...

mrsblocking.bsky.social•4 days ago

Idiot - is that a diagnose or not??

simonsays2.bsky.social•4 days ago

Not overly diagnosed-they are undertreated.

barbapple.bsky.social•4 days ago

When did Wes Streeting get his medical degree? Need to check with GMC to make sure his registration is still valid……

redbattle.bsky.social•4 days ago

Couldn't be the fact that the society people like him have a hand in creating is driving more and more people into declining mental health, no it's "over diagnosis"...sure buddy.

smashie603.bsky.social•4 days ago

https://bsky.app/profile/smashie603.bsky.social/post/3lkkvusybh22v

stephenlowewatson.bsky.social•4 days ago

There may be a serious underdiagnosis of mental health conditions among politicians and others in authority

sixesalltheway.bsky.social•4 days ago

The economic argument AGAINST cuts

https://bsky.app/profile/richardjmurphy.bsky.social/post/3lkkposgphs2w

faben456.bsky.social•4 days ago

and now we are going to have those suffering from mental health problems being judged by assholes who will not think they are faking it.
Screw this labour!

debatingroom.bsky.social•4 days ago

The current Labour strategy seems to be pushing far-right rhetoric, then implementing "one nation" Tory policies under a Labour banner.

wrenkh.bsky.social•4 days ago

It never ceases to amaze me just how many 'experts' on mental health there are out there.
The number of times I've been told I'll feel better if I 'just go for a walk.'
There are 2 year waiting lists for treatment.
Stigmatising & punishing us is never going to help anyone.

baggiesman.bsky.social•4 days ago

The poblem is that we don't have enough resources to even deal with basic health needs, such as hip & knee replacements. However we can measure the effects of not dealing with those much more easily than, say, ADHD. You either do everything badly, or you focus upon those needs that benefit us most.

gaygardener.bsky.social•4 days ago

When we complained that a politician had no business overriding the knowledge and experience of doctors and patients to ban trans care, the media roundly sided with Streeting. Their protests sound weak and hollow now.

semaleena.bsky.social•4 days ago

I think they just want us to die, literally

nikkihack.bsky.social•4 days ago

That horse has already bolted. Labour representatives have been all over the airways for the last week stigmatising mental health issues. Too late to close the barn door.

john3llis.bsky.social•4 days ago

Gaslighting to justify cutting benefits, make life unbearable, have mental health added to assisted suicide under equality act as it has been done across the EU. No more mental health problems.. not that such ducks line up in the UK.

motorthing68.bsky.social•4 days ago

This clown is literally going out of his way to try and make me never vote Labour again.

mmcmillenrocks.bsky.social•4 days ago

Will over half the country be locked up in an Institution? 👇🏼👇🏼👇🏼👇🏼👇🏼👇🏼

5 MN GOP Senators drafted a bill to make “Trump Derangement Syndrome” an official Mental Illness under state statutes.
“General Hysteria”, which manifests as intense hostility towards POTUS and his supporters, is the main symptom.

suewhiterose.bsky.social•4 days ago

I'd say the opposite applies re politicians i.e. an 'under-diagnosis' of some mental health conditions!

iskragoch.bsky.social•4 days ago

Just when I thought Streeting couldn't spout more nonsense,but he pops.

wulfgold.bsky.social•4 days ago

Compulsive eating Streeting's the picture of mental health. Self-hating nazi.

gunweary.bsky.social•4 days ago

It's his god squadder crap talking

h-h10.bsky.social•4 days ago

Absolutely disgusting! Because of decline and lack of medical services, the number is underreported! This crass lack of understanding and stigmatisation by people like WS & his Tory government is everything that's wrong with the country.

kalicj.bsky.social•3 days ago

Mental health conditions have always been stigmatised. Until relatively recently I couldn't have been an MP with my unusual condition (undiagnosed at the time). I hesitate to speak about it because people make assumptions. However, I worked all my life relatively successfully.

kalicj.bsky.social•3 days ago

Clearly with no diagnosis I had no support and still don't as there isn't a cure. I have learned coping strategies. Many mental health problems can be managed. The fear of being mocked or misunderstood is the worst thing. Social change isn't a change the government can make. Employers + people must

motherb60.bsky.social•4 days ago

Apart from depression other mental illnesses are diagnosed by specialist drs who have trained to be able to do it. Apart from politics at UNI what qualifications does he have regarding Mental illness.

jwwwc.bsky.social•3 days ago

This is not the way! Tax the fucking rich! Why is a Labour government taking people’s disability benefits away from them. This is the least Labour thing you can do. This is Starmer’s Labour we’re witnessing.

wee-dumplin.bsky.social•4 days ago

I’d like to report a grossly over promoted prick with a swathe of private healthcare donors who is currently masquerading as a Labour Health Secretary please

paulgarrigan.bsky.social•4 days ago

You never see him in the same room as Darren Grimes

mseviechops.bsky.social•4 days ago

And where is his proof? How does he actually know?

thereunderneath.bsky.social•4 days ago

He doesn’t have any. If he did he would cite evidence based research when he was interviewed.

mseviechops.bsky.social•4 days ago

He’ll have the numbers- but evidence that their diagnosis is not legitimate. Makes me
So angry

thereunderneath.bsky.social•4 days ago

It’s only set to save £6b.

And for what? Setting back people into severe panic their lives are going to be upturned.

The numbers are a dataset out of context though. He’s just looking at diagnosed. These people possibly don’t have an actual diagnosis from a mental health professional.

melissapudding.bsky.social•4 days ago

That’s exactly what they are doing, stigmatising the vulnerable

iwishididnaekerr.bsky.social•4 days ago

Always the same with these people Mel. Point to those already struggling and blame them for the mess actually created by them redirecting money upwards to themselves instead of outwards to reach all.

nilsvisser.bsky.social•4 days ago

He's just another rich entitled Tory-type who hasn't got a clue what's going on in the real world.

johntells.bsky.social•4 days ago

Get rid of him. To hell with him trying to demonise the vulnerable.

profsensible.bsky.social•4 days ago

It’s not about stigma.

asleepinyorkshire.bsky.social•4 days ago

Hear hear! 👏👏👏

skyeboat.bsky.social•4 days ago

Does he have a medical background?

fionasimmons.bsky.social•4 days ago

How would he know? It's probably the opposite - people tend to keep quiet about mental health issues and gradually become more isolated.

gadi2346.bsky.social•4 days ago

He's hitting easy targets, like the Conservatives did. There are people who have been on waiting list for years in the Merseyside area. Get in more professional support that'd ease the metrics he seems to be more concerned with than human beings.

tonykainth.bsky.social•4 days ago

There’s an overdiagnosis of competence among politicians.

stefek.bsky.social•4 days ago

Who asked Labour to show us that they're really Tories without saying it?

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