Official statistics in the UK present that extra younger individuals than ever earlier than are claiming incapacity advantages after being identified with consideration deficit hyperactivity dysfunction (ADHD) amid rising requires the advantages system to be overhauled.
Based on authorities statistics from July 2024 to April 2026, a minimum of 40 % of these receiving incapacity advantages, also referred to as private independence funds (PIP), are individuals with psychiatric problems.
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Furthermore, the variety of individuals claiming incapacity advantages for ADHD with no requirement to work rose from 71,528 in July 2024 to 100,207 in April this 12 months. The rise is basically all the way down to a rise within the variety of younger individuals aged 16 to 24 making claims, in line with official authorities figures reported by The Instances newspaper this week.
Referring to The Instances report on Tuesday, opposition Conservative Get together chief Kemi Badenoch mentioned her celebration would cease individuals with delicate psychological well being circumstances from receiving incapacity advantages, suggesting that the report had supported her case.
However Mindy Ptolomey, a lecturer in incapacity research on the College of Leeds, mentioned the give attention to younger individuals identified with ADHD and receiving incapacity advantages was “disingenuous”.
“I feel there’s additionally an vital level that the majority social safety cash – the advantages that individuals obtain – go straight again into the economic system, so individuals are shopping for items and companies. They’re paying for his or her utilities,” Ptolomey informed Al Jazeera.
“So that is cash that continues to flow into within the economic system. It’s not being taken out and put some place else. It’s truly circulating in our society,” she added.
Right here’s what we all know:
Why are 100,000 individuals signed off work within the UK for ADHD?
The Division for Work and Pensions (DWP) launched a report on June 16 displaying the variety of individuals claiming PIP had reached 4 million in April, a 2 % improve from January 31.
“Of those, 3.3 million (83 %) had been of Working Age and 680,000 (17 %) had been of State Pension Age. 37 % acquired the very best stage of award, the identical stage as in January 2026,” the report mentioned.
The Instances reported that of these claiming PIP for ADHD, “about 4 in 10 are receiving the highest price of each day dwelling and mobility allowances value as much as £194 [$259] per week”.
It added: “Official statistics present that the federal government has permitted a mean of 40 private independence funds (PIP) a day over the previous two years wherein ADHD is cited as the principle situation.”
Based on the federal government, individuals are eligible to be signed off from work and obtain the funds if they’ve both a “long-term bodily or psychological well being situation or incapacity” or “issue doing sure on a regular basis duties or getting round due to your situation”.
Not all individuals on PIP are signed off from work or can’t work. That’s decided by an evaluation throughout the course of. Whereas there are not any official figures of how many individuals who obtain PIP have been signed off from work, 2.8 million individuals are “economically inactive because of well being circumstances”, together with psychological well being and disabilities, in line with authorities statistics up to date final week.
What’s ADHD and the way simple is it to get a analysis within the UK?
ADHD is characterised by an lack of ability to concentrate to issues, having excessive power ranges and being impulsive, in line with the UK’s Nationwide Well being Service (NHS).
Signs of the dysfunction often begin earlier than the age of 12 and are regarded as much less recognised in ladies than males because of signs presenting otherwise.
However getting an official analysis of ADHD within the UK generally is a lengthy course of, campaigners say.
Those that have the dysfunction must see a GP who will then resolve whether or not to refer them to a specialist for an official evaluation. This may take a number of months and even years.
Remedies for ADHD vary from behavioural remedy to drugs.
NHS figures from Might confirmed that an estimated 2.4 million individuals in England have ADHD, together with these with no analysis. It added that of these, an estimated 741,000 are aged 5-24.
Figures additionally present that in March, 32,375 new referrals had been acquired for a attainable ADHD evaluation, a 29.5 % improve from March 2025.
Whereas the numbers appear excessive, Ptolomey mentioned the UK might the truth is be dealing with an “underdiagnosis disaster”.
“It’s virtually unattainable for some younger individuals within the UK proper now to entry an ADHD analysis on the NHS. Some areas’ ready lists are closed totally. In some areas, it’s a decade that you’d be ready to have a analysis,” she mentioned.
Even then, receiving advantages isn’t a given, she mentioned.
“It’s additionally crucial to say that PIP isn’t assessed on the premise of issues like having a analysis; it isn’t an automated award that you’re going to get. It has an evaluation course of that’s not associated to right away gaining access to advantages in the event you’ve had a analysis. So lots of issues are being conflated collectively right here which are truly fairly separate points,” Ptolomey defined.
What are incapacity advantages?
Incapacity advantages are monetary funds to individuals with disabilities or long-term well being circumstances that have an effect on each day life, together with their capability to work.
The most typical incapacity advantages embrace PIP, common credit score, incapacity dwelling allowance, and employment and assist allowance.
To obtain a few of these, reminiscent of some PIP and common credit score claims underneath which an individual is assessed as having a restricted functionality for work and work-related exercise, there isn’t a requirement to be in work.
Based on authorities figures in March, from 2024 to 2025, 45 % of younger individuals aged 16-24 who had been classed as not in schooling, employment or coaching (NEET) had been as a substitute classed as disabled, an “improve of 24 proportion factors since 2013/14”, a authorities report mentioned.
“In 2024/25, disabled younger individuals had been greater than thrice as more likely to be NEET (29.6 %) in comparison with non-disabled younger individuals (8.7 %),” it added.
What do incapacity advantages value the general public purse?
Based on official statistics, from 2025 to 2026, the federal government is anticipated to spend 77.1 billion kilos ($102.8bn) on advantages to assist individuals with disabilities and folks with well being circumstances and 37.3 billion kilos ($49.7bn) on housing advantages.
Thus far, there are not any official figures on how a lot it prices to supply ADHD-related advantages particularly.
Incapacity Minister Stephen Timms is anticipated to launch the outcomes of a landmark assessment into the incapacity welfare system this week.
The assessment, which was carried out in session with individuals with disabilities, advocates and charities, is anticipated to be launched in two components with the latter half to be printed within the autumn.
It’s anticipated to search out that the system for assessing individuals with disabilities for advantages is dehumanising and likewise hinders individuals from searching for work, The Guardian newspaper reported on Wednesday.
It added that the assessment is anticipated to conclude that the points-based system of evaluation, which considers the severity of a situation by way of mobility and each day dwelling, is “in impact nugatory due to the rising variety of new circumstances – significantly referring to psychological well being – that may fluctuate significantly in severity”.
Has the federal government tried to reform the incapacity advantages system earlier than?
Reforming welfare advantages is a long-term battle the British authorities has been engaged in to unlock spending on different programmes.
Beneath the earlier Conservative authorities, claiming advantages grew to become considerably more durable after claimants had been required to bear extra frequent face-to-face assessments. The coverage was later adopted by the now ruling Labour Get together, which mentioned it aimed to extend face-to-face assessments from 12 % to 30 %.
In 2024, analysis commissioned by the DWP discovered that amongst individuals surveyed who had been claiming PIP, 17 % mentioned the in-person evaluation made them “much less more likely to apply”.
In the identical 12 months, nationwide incapacity charity Sense discovered that whereas in-person assessments weren’t essentially a nasty apply, it discovered that the system as an entire was taking a toll on the well being and wellbeing of individuals with disabilities.
Since coming to energy in 2024, Labour Prime Minister Keir Starmer has tried and didn’t push by way of plans to chop PIP spending additional by limiting eligibility. These plans would have saved 4.8 billion kilos ($6.4bn), however Starmer was compelled to drop the welfare reform invoice after 49 Labour MPs voted in opposition to a second studying within the Home of Commons.
The MPs argued that the invoice may depart extra individuals within the nation in relative poverty.
Andy Burnham, a Labour MP and the frontrunner to take over from Starmer after he introduced his resignation on June 22, informed The Instances final month that he was “not squeamish” about overhauling the system.
Whereas he warned in opposition to “crude” cuts to the system, he insisted that he needed to get extra younger individuals into work.
Ptolomey mentioned that whereas it’s clear the welfare system because it stands must be reformed, this should be accomplished with the wants of these with disabilities on the forefront.
“This isn’t about individuals wanting social safety for all of those spurious causes which are steered, [such as] being lazy. Disabled individuals, younger disabled individuals and younger individuals with ADHD actually need to contribute and take part of their group, and PIP needs to be one of many many mechanisms in our society that assist individuals to try this,” she mentioned.
