Disability benefit claims linked to anxiety and depression have more than doubled across Britain in just five years, new analysis reveals.
Since 2021, the number of people receiving personal independence payment (PIP) for mixed anxiety and depressive disorder (MADD) has soared by 108 per cent.
There are now four times as many claims linked to the condition as there are for ADHD.
The Daily Mail’s exclusive maps reveal stark hotspots across the country, with huge variations in claim rates between different areas.
Wales has the highest rate, at 13.1 claims per 1,000 residents – nearly twice the national figure – while Yorkshire and the Humber, the North East and North West also have some of the highest levels.
The East and West Midlands, meanwhile, have recorded the sharpest increases in claims over the past five years.
At the other end of the scale, rates remain below average across the South East and South West – reflecting the long-established link between disability claims and deprivation.
Overall, psychiatric conditions now account for around 39 per cent of PIP claims across England and Wales.
Analysis by the TaxPayers’ Alliance found claims linked to MADD have risen by nearly a quarter in the past two years alone, while those linked to autism have increased by more than a third.
Campaigners say the surge in claims linked to mood and neurodevelopmental disorders raises questions over whether the benefits system is adequately distinguishing between different levels of need.
It comes amid wider concerns that ‘institutional incentives’ within the education and welfare systems may be encouraging more people to seek a diagnosis.
PIP is intended to help with the extra costs of living with a long-term health condition or disability and is not dependent on whether someone is able to work.
Nor is it awarded simply because someone has been diagnosed with anxiety or depression. Claimants must show that their condition significantly affects their ability to carry out everyday tasks.
MADD describes people who experience symptoms of both anxiety and depression, without either being sufficiently severe on its own to warrant a separate diagnosis.
For PIP purposes, the difficulties associated with the condition can include preparing or eating food, managing personal hygiene or finances, leaving the house alone and interacting with other people because of anxiety or psychological distress.
People with ADHD – attention deficit hyperactivity disorder – may also qualify if symptoms such as poor concentration, memory problems or impulsivity significantly interfere with daily life.
Shimeon Lee, policy analyst at the TaxPayers’ Alliance, said: ‘The extraordinary growth in PIP claims for psychiatric conditions goes far beyond the headlines about ADHD.
‘With the surge in people claiming for mixed anxiety and depressive disorders, autism and ADHD driving an ever-growing burden on taxpayers, the PIP system is clearly unfit for purpose.
‘The Government should use its review of PIP to fundamentally rethink eligibility, with support focused more clearly on serious limitations and genuine extra costs, while introducing means testing so help is targeted at those who need it most.’
The findings come after separate analysis revealed a surge in disability claims linked to ADHD and autism among teenagers in some of England’s most affluent areas.
Research by the Nuffield Trust found the rise in PIP claims among 16 and 17-year-olds with the conditions has been 28 per cent faster in the least deprived parts of England than in the poorest.
Nine of the ten constituencies with the highest numbers of autism-related claims were also in the South East, bucking the traditional pattern of higher disability benefit claims in more deprived areas.
Experts said the unexpected trend could be partly explained by wealthier families having better access to diagnosis and more support navigating the benefits system.
NHS waiting lists for ADHD and autism assessments have soared in recent years, while more than half of NHS-funded ADHD assessments are now carried out by independent providers.
There is no national waiting-time target for diagnosing anxiety or depression.
While GPs can often diagnose the conditions without the need for a specialist assessment, growing pressure on primary care means some patients face lengthy waits even for an initial appointment.
Those referred to specialist mental health services can face waits of several months.
But there are growing concerns that difficulties accessing NHS care may not be the only factor driving the rise in diagnoses.
A review commissioned by Health Secretary Wes Streeting found private providers were routinely misdiagnosing ADHD in children and raised concerns that ‘institutional incentives’ in the education and welfare systems could encourage families to pursue a diagnosis.
Its final report, due in the coming weeks, is expected to recommend that support in schools – including extra time in exams – should be based on a child’s needs rather than dependent on a diagnosis.
It is also expected to call for waiting lists to be better managed so children at greatest risk, including those facing exclusion from school, are prioritised for treatment.
The rise in benefit claims comes against a backdrop of worsening mental health since the pandemic.
A record one in seven people in England were prescribed antidepressants last year.
More than nine million patients received the drugs – up more than 15 per cent in five years, according to the NHS Business Services Authority.
The proportion of adults experiencing significant symptoms of depression also remains almost twice as high as before Covid, rising from 9.7 per cent in 2019 to 18 per cent in April 2025, according to the Office for National Statistics.
Rates are even higher among younger adults, with 26 per cent of 16 to 29-year-olds affected – more than one in four.
Meanwhile, 2.8 million working-age Britons are out of work because of long-term sickness, including depression, anxiety and other mental health conditions, compared with just over two million before the pandemic.
