Mental Health

How do you know the people who say they are depressed or suffer from Anxiety are just doing it for benefits?

Seems a dangerous, ill informed generalisation to me, and could make others battling Mental Health feel stigmatised.

I think people are starting to expect to much from the nhs and expecting miracles from them. There is only so much they can do.

I think theres too much emphasis on mental health these days, Of course some people are genuinely unwell & need help to overcome it but I think some people are too quick to run to there GP declaring they are 'depressed' when they are infact unhappy or sad due to whatever reasons. Going through a rough time, being fed up, feeling sad or unhappy with your lot is not the same as being clinically depressed. I agree with Faye1 we expect far too much from the NHS these days & we should all take as much responsibility for our own well being as we can.

Moralistic attitudes are not helpful in allocating any welfare benefit. The notion of deserving and undeserving harks back to Elizabethan Poor Laws. I hope we have become a more empathetic and tolerant society since then. Those in receipt of extra benefits and sickness money will have been assessed by a medical professional. Undoubtedly, there will be some that abuse this system, but mental health can affect anyone, regardless of whether they are working or not.

If people had other illnesses ..eg Diabetes...there is a medicine to take to make it feel better. Of course people would never judge and say that they need to take responsibility ..and not to expect to much from the NHS...

Mental health issues are very serious ...if you had experienced the hopelessness and despair...you would not be so quick to look down....unless your helping someone up.