Mental Health Does Not Discriminate

Why Stigmatising Anxiety and Depression Risks Creating a Lost Generation

Recent commentary in The Times has sparked widespread debate about young people, work, and mental health. The article reports warnings from Alan Milburn, the Prime Minister’s work tsar, that anxious young Britons risk becoming a “lost generation on benefits,” arguing that successive governments have invested in older generations at the expense of the young.

While scrutiny of youth employment policy is vital, the tone and framing of this discussion matter. Mental health is not a lifestyle choice, a weakness, or a convenient explanation for unemployment. It is a complex, often invisible reality that affects people across all ages, backgrounds, and circumstances.

Mental Health, Discrimination, and the Law

In the UK, discrimination relating to mental health is unlawful and clearly addressed in legislation. Under the Equality Act 2010, mental health conditions such as anxiety disorders, depression, OCD, PTSD, and other long-term psychological impairments may qualify as disabilities where they have a substantial and long-term adverse effect on a person’s ability to carry out normal day-to-day activities. This law protects individuals from direct discrimination, indirect discrimination, harassment, and victimisation in areas including employment, education, housing, healthcare, and access to services. Employers and public bodies also have a legal duty to make reasonable adjustments to prevent disabled individuals from being placed at a disadvantage. Additionally, the Public Sector Equality Duty (PSED) requires public authorities to have due regard to the need to eliminate discrimination, advance equality of opportunity, and foster good relations for people with protected characteristics, including disability. The Human Rights Act 1998 further reinforces protections by safeguarding the right to dignity, private life, and freedom from degrading treatment, rights that are particularly relevant where stigma, dismissive rhetoric, or harmful policy decisions impact those living with mental ill-health. Collectively, these laws make it clear that minimising, mocking, or disregarding mental health is not only socially harmful but may also carry legal consequences.

Access to Information Matters

It is also important to note that The Times operates behind a paywall. By contrast, our platform provides information freely, and will continue to do so, because education, awareness, and support around mental health and disability should never be restricted by the ability to pay. Understanding is the first step toward solutions.

Mental Health Does Not Discriminate

Mental ill-health does not target a particular generation. Anxiety and depression affect students, workers, carers, parents, and retirees alike. They affect people in work and out of work. They affect those with stable homes and those experiencing upheaval.

Public figures must take care not to normalise or minimise serious conditions. Saying that “anxiety is normal” or “depression is normal” may be intended to reduce stigma, but when used to imply that these conditions are not real barriers to functioning or employment, the result can be the opposite: disbelief, blame, and policy built on misunderstanding.

Response From the Mental Health Sector

Concerns about this rhetoric have been raised by Tom Pollard from Mind, who has publicly challenged the direction of the debate.

Tom Pollard’s concerns:

Rising mental health stigma is deeply worrying. The review being led by Alan Milburn will significantly influence how the government approaches young people who are not in education, employment, or training (NEET).

The narrative appears to be shifting, from suggesting that everyday experiences are being over-diagnosed as anxiety or depression, to acknowledging these conditions exist but implying they are “normal” and not a genuine obstacle to work.

Supporting people into work where possible is important. However, language that downplays the lived reality of mental ill-health risks invalidating people’s experiences.

Claims such as “83% of the population could be diagnosed with a mental health condition at any given time” are repeatedly cited without clear evidence or explanation. This framing suggests the issue is simply about motivation, self-belief, or incentives, rather than recognising the wide range of social, economic, medical, and traumatic factors that affect mental health.

As the review progresses, there must be greater care, evidence-based reasoning, and openness to alternative explanations.

Perspective Matters

It is easy to speak abstractly about anxiety, resilience, and incentives until life intervenes. Sudden job loss, bereavement, caring responsibilities, disability, domestic trauma, or long-term illness can profoundly affect mental health. Under such circumstances, even the most confident and capable individuals may find their ability to function disrupted. Context changes everything.

Before dismissing anxiety or depression as “normal” and therefore negligible, policymakers should consider how they would cope if their own security, health, or relationships were suddenly taken away.

25 Reasons Someone May Experience Mental Health Difficulties

Mental health conditions such as anxiety, depression, intrusive thoughts, and OCD rarely arise without cause. Below are just some of the many reasons people may struggle:

Sudden job loss: Financial insecurity and loss of identity can trigger anxiety and depression.
Bereavement: Grief affects emotional regulation, sleep, and concentration.
Chronic illness or disability: Ongoing symptoms and uncertainty erode mental resilience.
Caring responsibilities: Long-term stress and burnout are common among unpaid carers.
Childhood trauma: Early adverse experiences can have lifelong psychological effects.
Domestic abuse: Living in fear profoundly impacts mental well-being.
Bullying or harassment: Especially damaging when prolonged or workplace-based.
Poverty: Constant financial pressure increases stress hormones and anxiety.
Housing insecurity: Fear of eviction or poor living conditions affects sleep and safety.
Academic pressure: High expectations with limited support can overwhelm young people.
Neurodivergence: Living in systems not designed for different cognitive styles.
Social isolation: Loneliness is a significant predictor of depression.
Long-term unemployment: Rejection and stigma compound existing mental health issues.
Workplace stress: Excessive workload, lack of control, or hostile environments.
Relationship breakdown: Loss of trust and stability can trigger intrusive thoughts.
Trauma exposure: Including accidents, violence, or witnessing distressing events.
Health anxiety: Fear of illness or relapse, often linked to lived experience.
Perfectionism: Strongly linked to anxiety disorders and OCD.
Sleep deprivation: Disrupts emotional regulation and cognitive function.
Medication side effects: Some treatments affect mood and anxiety levels.
Hormonal changes: Including puberty, pregnancy, post-natal periods, and menopause.
Discrimination: Based on disability, gender, ethnicity, or socioeconomic status.
Uncertainty about the future: Economic instability and climate anxiety.
Digital overload: Constant comparison and negative news cycles.
Lack of access to support: Long NHS waiting lists or unaffordable private care.

Why Language Matters

Mocking, minimising, or trivialising mental health is a dangerous game. Words shape attitudes, attitudes shape policy, and policy shapes lives. When stigma rises, people withdraw, conditions worsen, and the cost to individuals and society grows.

Conclusion: A Call for Informed Leadership

If government reviews are to succeed, they must be grounded in evidence, empathy, and lived experience. Mental health does not discriminate by age, class, or employment status. It deserves serious, informed consideration, not soundbites. We hope that open, accessible writing like this helps decision-makers understand that supporting mental health is not about lowering expectations, but about removing barriers so people can genuinely thrive.

Lived Experience: For over four decades, the editor of this publication has lived with the realities of trauma, OCD, depression, anxiety, and intrusive thoughts. Healing has not been linear, complete, or neatly resolved, and that is the truth for many people living with long-term mental health conditions. What has been possible, however, is finding ways to survive, adapt, and channel intrusive thoughts into purpose: staying busy, creating structure, and building a safe, inclusive space where vulnerable people can access clear information, practical resources, understanding, and, most importantly, hope.

No one should feel ashamed, dismissed, or stigmatised because someone without mental health experience publishes commentary that inflames communities, undermines lived experience, or contradicts the work of charities and clinicians who support people every day. With over 811 articles and counting on Mental Health, we could say we are knowledgeable enough to publish articles on the subject. Mental health deserves nuance, compassion, and education, not rhetoric. This platform exists to remind people that they are not weak, not broken, and not alone. Support, understanding, and dignity should never be optional.