Not everybody must be identified with melancholy and anxiousness says Tony Blair as he tells Brits to ‘cease medicalising the ups and downs of life’

Former Prime Minister Sir Tony Blair has warned against over-medicalising the ‘ups and downs’ of life. 

Sir Tony, who served as PM from 1997 to 2007, said there is a danger of telling too many people going through life’s normal challenges that they are suffering a mental health condition. 

It comes amid a surge in the number of people being diagnosed with mental health conditions such as anxiety and depression in the UK in recent years. 

The cost of benefits to support those whose work is affected by such diagnoses have soared as a result. 

To make matters worse, the issue has increased in the wake of the Covid pandemic. 

Speaking on the Jimmy’s Jobs of the Future podcast, Sir Tony said: ‘I think we have become very, very focused on mental health and with people self-diagnosing. 

Former Prime Minister Tony Blair has warned against over-medicalising the ‘ups and downs’ of life

The UK has seen a surge in the number of people being diagnosed with mental health conditions such as anxiety and depression in recent years (Stock photo) 

‘We’re spending vastly more on mental health now than we did a few years ago. And it’s hard to see what the objective reasons for that are.’ 

The former PM added: ‘Life has its ups and downs and everybody experiences those. And you’ve got to be careful of encouraging people to think they’ve got some sort of condition other than simply confronting the challenges of life. 

‘We need a proper conversation about this because you really cannot afford to be spending the amount of money we’re spending on mental health.’