NHS Urges Nine Million People to Get Therapy

Why It Matters

By tackling anxiety and related disorders at scale, the NHS aims to reduce sick‑leave costs and safeguard UK economic output, while highlighting the broader societal need for mental‑health investment.

Key Takeaways

• NHS launches campaign urging nine million to seek therapy.
• Targeted disorders: social anxiety, panic, PTSD, OCD, BDD, phobias.
• Mental health now leading cause of long‑term sick leave, up 55%.
• One‑quarter of under‑45 adults reportedly suffer mental health issues.
• Officials hope therapy reduces absenteeism and supports UK economic productivity.

Summary

The National Health Service has rolled out a nationwide campaign urging nine million Britons to access talking‑therapy services, zeroing in on six anxiety‑related conditions – social anxiety, panic disorder, PTSD, OCD, body‑dysmorphic disorder and specific phobias. The push comes as mental‑health problems have eclipsed all other reasons for long‑term sick leave, driving a 55% increase in absenteeism since 2019.

Data cited in the briefing indicate that roughly one in four adults under 45 now experience a mental‑health issue, a trend analysts link to constant digital connectivity, social‑media pressure and a perceived erosion of resilience. By encouraging self‑referral, the NHS hopes to intervene early, keeping frazzled millennials in the workforce and curbing the economic drag of prolonged absence.

The campaign’s messaging underscores a stark reality: “Britain can’t afford to go on like this,” officials warned, while noting that a parallel push from policymakers such as Kia Starma seeks tighter regulation of social‑media platforms to protect younger users. The NHS frames therapy as a cost‑effective antidote to the “age of anxiety” that threatens both public health and productivity.

If successful, the initiative could lower sick‑pay costs, boost labour participation and ease pressure on an already strained welfare system. Critics, however, caution that without broader reforms to unemployment benefits and job security, therapy alone may not deliver the systemic change required to reverse the rising tide of mental‑health‑related work loss.

Original Description

Nine million people suffering from anxiety and other mental health conditions are being urged to get therapy on the NHS as part of a drive to end the worklessness crisis.

The healthy service is launching a landmark campaign across social media, search engines and television amid warnings that an epidemic of anxiety is forcing people out of the workforce.

Mental health is now the leading cause of long term sickness, fuelling a 55 per cent rise in the numbers on leave since before the pandemic.

The number of people referred to NHS talking therapies has risen by 26 per cent since 2018, with more than 7 million referrals in the three years ending 2025.

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