Health Minister Wes Streeting orders review into mental health and ADHD diagnosis
Health / Thu 4th Dec 2025 at 07:40am
HEALTH Secretary Wes Streeting is to launch an independent review into rising demand for mental health, ADHD, and autism services in England reports the BBC.
Streeting has previously suggested mental health conditions are being “overdiagnosed”, and the government has argued that increased pressure on the system has led to long waits for people with an urgent need for help.
He said: “We must look at this through a strictly clinical lens to get an evidence-based understanding… That’s the only way we can ensure everyone gets timely access to accurate diagnosis and effective support.”
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https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/ce8q26q2r75o
David Forman
2025-12-04 11:01:07
Leading the inquiry is Professor Peter Fonagy, a Hungarian born clinical psychologist, Britain's most eminent professor in the field of mental health. He is the originator of Mentalization Based Therapy MBT. https://www.ucl.ac.uk/psychoanalysis/people/peter-fonagy https://www.annafreud.org/training/health-and-social-care/mentalization-based-treatments-mbt/mentalization-based-treatment-adults/about-mbt/
David Forman
2025-12-04 11:02:26
What we do without foreigners in health care as Peter Fonagy has received Lifetime Achievement Awards from several national and international professional associations including the British Psychological Society, the International Society for the Study of Personality Disorder, the British and Irish Group for the Study of Personality Disorder, the World Association for Infant Mental Health and was in 2015 the first UK recipient of the Wiley Prize of the British Academy for Outstanding Achievements in Psychology by an international scholar.
Seamus
2025-12-04 12:22:41
This still has a motability/benefits drive at it's core. It is based on economics more than mental health. In the olden days if someone was unsettled before an exam, a job interview/first few days of a new school etc, it was called nerves and was soon overcome. It is perfectly normal to have some apprehension in new chapters of your life. Now those very same challenges cause some to dye their hair blue/purple or pink, carry plaquards from Socialist Worker and claim to be so riddeled with anxiety that they couldn't possibly put into "the pot" by working so now need to be financially supported by the state till retirement age. In todays modern world, every day trials and tribulations all seemed to have become syndromes or mental illness's. Because of that I'm sure most of us know at least one who are taking the P with this and it's those people that stretch resources and put pressure on those who truly need help.
Pink haired Mary
2025-12-04 23:22:16
Seamus. Yeah because a neurodivergent person wakes up one morning and says: oh I’ll dye my hair pink or purple and campaign for socialism . It’s not like that and I suggest you educate yourself on neurodiversity.
Pink haired Mary
2025-12-04 23:28:33
P.s regarding Wes streeting having an opinion regarding mental health. He knows absolutely nothing about mental health and studied history at university, not mental health!
Pink haired Mary
2025-12-04 23:50:31
And one more thing. Here’s a new word that describes Wes streetings opinions on mental health and neurodivergence: Abelist!
Blue purple and pink haired Mary
2025-12-04 23:58:15
Madness is just a rational response to a world where generals are allowed to send poets to die in the mud. Spike Milligan
Neurodivergent Nora.
2025-12-05 00:42:30
Wes Streeting,‘ all those so called overdiagnosed with neurodivergent and mental health disorders, voted for you , so don’t expect us to vote Labour again if you attack us like this. You can’t never overdiagnose something and shouldn’t you be more compassionate to people, since you are a gay Christian man who doesn’t have a medical degree. Labour have scrapped the two child benefit cap so now they have to target some of the most vulnerable individuals , but it’s ok though because now young women can breed like rabbits knowing they will be supported by Labour benefits, whilst mental health and neurodivergent folk suffer . It takes years for a diagnoses and is a long and arduous battle. You know absolutely nothing to what we go through! We won’t be voting Labour again if you target us that’s for sure!
Red haired Robyn
2025-12-05 04:27:31
Regarding a review. All they will do is pay somebody who is willing to persecute people , like the other lot did with the covid contracts . These so called kind people get elected then they turn evil. If someone’s got a diagnoses then that’s that. Do people have to get elected again because nobody believed them the first time? Seamus your comment regarding people who you insinuated are not mentally challenged or neurodivergent is disingenuous and you should be looking at asylum seekers and how they sponge off everyone, not people who didn’t ask to have a mental disorder or are neurodivergent. Isn’t the Labour Party supposed to be a compassionate tolerant party? Yes, to families who want loads of children and to illegals immigrants, but not to the mentally unwell or neurodivergent. What a disgrace. I’m dying my hair green now.
Blue haired Bobbie
2025-12-05 04:36:36
I’m actually starting to wonder why I voted Labour . I think actually the Tories were kinder to the disabled. I’m going to colour my hair blue now.
Grey hair Guy Flegman
2025-12-05 07:58:28
When I was young i did not haveADHD ( it did not exist then). I was just a very naughty boy and had to find my way without a diagnosis, yet somehow I have led a successful and fulfilling life without outside help. Some of the greatest people to have lived were undiagnosed neurodivergent
Ted
2025-12-05 13:45:18
Some unlucky people with mental health problems cannot help it. I blame all goverments. Just look what the young have to put up with nowadays. Rents too expensive, no chance of a mortgage, not enough housing stock , not enough decent paying jobs , unable to get their own home, nhs in bits , unable to get a doctors appointment, 12 hours in A and E. The wrong people getting help , if your from UK tough luck. All this in the cauldron being heated by the flames of (anti) social media. No wonder there is so many suicides. I feel so sorry for all people with mental health issues. West Streeting you are talking out your backside , you obviously have not had to live with someone suffering. These people have not asked to suffer like this , I would image that they would like a job as it would help them. So Wes until you understand all of this , keep your f**king mouth shut.
David Forman
2025-12-05 20:42:55
To the rainbow alliance and Ted, I salute you. Wes Streeting is clearly clueless on this topic. Guy makes a good point that it doesn't have to be game over. I overcame PTSD with professional help, but it took an awful long time to get the diagnosis. This came after my probation order with a psychiatric treatment order in the late 1980s. Mental health doesn't have to mean game over, but it does mean proper clinical support and a supportive family.
Seamus
2025-12-05 21:14:40
Labels are for clothes, not people.
Rainbow Barnet
2025-12-05 21:47:49
Labels are for clothes not people. How ignorant is they statement! One size fits no one. Imagine a scenario where a neurodivergent person was extremely overwhelmed at work and had a meltdown. How would his her colleagues deal with that? Burn out can last for months and even years. People need to be trained in neurodivergence and mental health. It’s not a one size fits all thing. Employers need to be aware and not discriminate, but they do. We all know they do, which is why everyone’s on pip. The only thing that gets me about pip is that it’s personal independence payment, which helps people be independent and not rely on others. It’s liberating to a disabled person, but the thing that gets me is married people apply for it when their spouse should be supporting them . Single disabled people should be the only people entitled to pip because it’s so hard living alone trying to support oneself with a disability. Seamus educate yourself on neurodivergence and mental health , it’s a huge spectrum with a one size fits no one t shirt. Your are an ableist.
Seamus
2025-12-05 23:09:10
Rainbow, I offer some advice. Humanity has always faced struggles daily and with every new label, a new fad and mass swamping of the need for people to belong and then when that label becomes mainstream, some think think it has become to mainstream and it no longer meets their requirement to be special, unique, a one off. The term "neurodivergent" was coined by Kassiane Asasumasu, an activist for the neurodiversity movement although was first introduced by Judy Singer, an Australian sociologist, in the late 1990s. Just in the same way "Ciss" or Cissgender" was created by the recent popularity in self identifying as trans movement who created Ciss and impose on those who were not self identifying as trans. Labels are simply things people use to restrict themselves. Guy made the point what did people with differences do before labels? They got on with their life and why? because they refused to restrict themselves by a label. Back in the 60's there was a tv programme called The Prisoner. It's opening line was "I am not a number, I am a free man" emphasizing themes of individuality and personal freedom against oppressive systems. It reflects a strong stance against being reduced to a mere statistic or label. Now as you made the comment about educating ones self, I would offer in return, if your best way of dealing with someone better informed is "your are an abelist" then your learning is only one step up from calling everyone a racist if they disagree with you. The traffic lights didn't go to red because they saw you coming and no one can punish you more than yourself. I wish you well in your future
Grey haired slightly balding Mr sensible.
2025-12-06 09:08:02
Ted ,compared to my dad's generation we have it easy,all those things you quote for the youth of today are valid however you need to put it into perspective.We have had 80 years of relative peace,people generally speaking are better off than they have ever been.My dad had nothing after 6 years of war,but he just potted around in his allotment never moaned about anything although he must have been mentally devastated for what he went through.Never claimed a penny in benefits never had a car 1 holiday a year in Clacton.
Black haired won’t get fooled again.
2025-12-07 19:37:46
Only a neurotypical would attack the neurodivergent. I voted Labour because I thought they were compassionate. They can stick it up their neurotypical uncompassionate ***** next time!
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