Farage says people with mental health problems overdiagnosed

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Reform UK leader Nigel Farage sparked backlash after claiming that GPs are “overdiagnosing” mental health issues in adults and children with special educational needs (SEND), potentially creating a "class of victims”.
He suggested that diagnoses made via Zoom and by family GPs are unreliable and should be conducted independently.
Charities like the National Autistic Society and Mind condemned Farage's remarks as “wildly inaccurate” and stigmatising, emphasising the challenges faced by individuals with SEND and mental health conditions in accessing support and diagnoses.
They highlighted that autism diagnoses are not given by GPs and that Farage's comments perpetuate harmful stereotypes.
Opposition politicians also condemned Farage's statements, accusing him of lacking compassion and understanding of the SEND crisis and potentially aiming to cut essential services.

https://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/uknews/f ... 7088d&ei=8

He's an intelligent man and he knows full well that gp's don't diagnose autism

He just likes to create division and unrest because he knows that there are certain types of people who already believe this anyway so now they'll take what he has said and use it as proof that they're right

Typical bloody political game playing

Can't wait to vote against this tool in the local elections.

Funny he says that when his issues clearly remain undiagnosed.

Whenever I have looked into researchers who specialize in disorders such as ADHD, they all say it is underdiagnosed by a large margin, i.e, it is thought there could be up to 5% of the population that has ADHD, yet in many areas, as little as 1% of people receive a formal diagnosis.

And yet here have have Farage, claiming that GP's (not specialists) diagnose kids with SEND (including ADHD) and GP's supposedly don't want to say no to parents, because they have been family GP's for the same family for generations?

The exact opposite is the case. People with SEND have a literal tooth and nail battle to receive the services they are entitled to and which they need and nothing is easy as part of the diagnostic process or any services given after a diagnosis. In some areas, there is a massive underfunding of such services and people go without their needed services.

Also, there is a crisis going on where people cannot even see the same GP within their surgery for two consecutive appointments, never mind having the same GP for generations. Farage comes out with some right old twaddle.

My daughter has been on the adhd waiting list since records began

Her colleague forgot to go to his appointment (adhd in action) and has had to go back to the start of the waiting list

To go private it costs about 800 quid and even then it's not always recognised as a diagnosis on the NHS

It's crazy

the right wing in Australia say similar things as do the MAGA people to Farage and UKIP. Nothing surprising.

the narrative benefits lowering financial support for diagnosis/assessment/therapy when you justify mental illness is "made up" by liberals and in any case those who really are mentally ill are a "drain on the economy". Conservative people/families unaffected by mental Illness (or whom don't care) are likely to throw all of us into the r-word bucket and spruik support focusing on "productive" members of society. Just listen to right wingers, they say only normies with normal healthy kids should be the focus of government. People who don't have kids, or whom have kids with no prospect to be "normal" are less valuable and are a burden on society. No secret there.

How can it be overdiagnosed if you can't even see a doctor?

"Penny wise and pound foolish"

Yes, you can save money by with-holding treatment but you lose much more in productivity and health problems caused by self harm. Drug use would be far less with proper attention and treatment.

Even better than treatment would be the acceptance of people who are different.
Lynn Conway was an exceptional MtF transgender who found acceptance and taught people how to design microchips!

How much more could Alan Turing had done if he was accepted by his society?