Mental Health: UK Review Suggests Social Prescribing of Wellness for Young People
By Thierry Malleret, economist
In the UK, a new government review about the rapid rise in diagnosis of common mental health conditions like anxiety and depression and other conditions such as ADHD and autism I young people just concluded that private psychiatry companies routinely misdiagnose ADHD in children and must therefore face tighter regulation. It was led by doctors in the field.
It stated that rising depression and anxiety were both the symptoms of a real increase in distress among young people (citing factors like economic uncertainty and social media)––but also pointed out that this does not always require a medical response. It therefore recommends doctors and therapists to use more “social prescribing” of activities such as exercise, hobbies or socializing as an alternative to medication.
This feeds into the argument made by some research psychologists (like Lucy Foulkes in the UK or Clay Routledge in the US) who argue that our preoccupation with mental health could in fact too often worsen our mental health. In this article in The New York Times, Routledge writes that reducing stigma about mental conditions is very beneficial, but he also states that over-fixating on it “encourages us to pathologize ordinary life.” Foulkes makes a similar point in a scientific article, explaining why mental health awareness programs can lead to an increase in reporting of (and experiencing) mental health problems.
These arguments are hotly debated in the scientific community but point to a future where the social prescribing of wellness solutions (like physical activity and social connections) play a an increasingly important role versus the default of medication.
