The attitude of many GPs to mental health is the problem, not overdiagnosis
No wonder so many of us reach crisis point before we are taken seriously when the majority of doctors believe that mental health is overdiagnosed.
By Grace
I’m thanking my GP for being so supportive, feeling relief. His response was unexpected as I have faced a decade of pushback and dismissiveness from GPs when it comes to appointments about my mental health.
I’ve called the GP surgery for a review after hesitating for weeks. I’m apprehensive about who I’ll face on the other end of the phone and how they will treat me.
"Of the 753 GPs who took part in the BBC’s research, 442 (or 59%) said they believed that over-diagnosis is a concern."
That same week, on seeing a BBC article titled, “Life being stressful is not an illness' - GPs on mental health over-diagnosis”, I felt disappointed. Not anger or frustration, just a deep-rooted sadness that my experiences have been confirmed. Of the 752 GPs who took part in the BBC’s research asking about their experiences helping patients with mental health concerns, 442 (or 59%) said they believed that over-diagnosis is a concern.
I have felt for a long time that opinions on mental health are out of touch with real people’s experiences and lives. The sense that we are not being taken seriously in the first instance we reach out for support and that the system is not equipped to support us. And, ultimately, the BBC’s article, published in December 2025, is a shocking demonstration of what people with mental illness face when they access services for support.
As a lived experience advocate, I know I should respond. Hopefully, to highlight that the BBC’s survey of GPs exemplifies why so many people reach crisis point before they are taken seriously.
Now aged 22, I am a young person who has experience of the mental health system both as a service user and as an employee of a mental health charity. My focus is on early intervention within the community so people can get the support they need, when they need it. However, the discourse of “overdiagnosis” comes at a time when, for young people in particular, the infrastructure is not in place to support them.
"Worrying about what attitudes GPs might hold towards you while you are sharing
your experiences feels like we are taking steps back rather than forwards."
The Future Minds campaign for youth mental health estimates that the annual costs of waiting for care for young people is £295 million, owing to “significant increases in both referrals and average waiting times.” On the other hand, it is 100 times cheaper on average to treat a young person in the community compared to as an inpatient.
Considering this, GPs’ concerns of “overdiagnosis” feel counterproductive. Rather than supporting the campaign for early intervention within the community to treat mental health as a practical solution to the mental health crisis, they instead risk stigmatising mental health by publicly sharing their own attitudes.
"I am ashamed that there are GPs who think mental health patients are “dishonest,narcissistic… gaming a system free at point of use”.
It is an NHS commitment to “Make Every Contact Count,” meaning the workforce should encourage opportunities in their routine interactions with patients to discuss positive improvements to their health and wellbeing. In a time when there are gaps in mental health provision, worrying about what attitudes GPs might hold towards you while you are sharing your experiences feels like we are taking steps back rather than forwards.
I am ashamed that there are GPs who think mental health patients are “dishonest, narcissistic… gaming a system free at point of use.” To generalise a whole group of people shows a lack of trust and understanding that will only make GPs’ jobs more difficult. I would not be surprised if the same people suspected of being unable deal with “normal life stresses” come back to their GP within a few months, this time at crisis point.
But I will not generalise every GP. I understand the system is difficult to deal with. I understand it might not always be possible to get people the support they need.
In response to this, we should call on the Government to remove this burden from GPs by investing more in early support hubs and community-based support as a form of prevention for mental illness. As for GPs, they must remember the importance of empathy and advocacy instead of passing the weight of frustration on to others.
So, when I thanked my GP for his kindness, I had in mind my 12-year-old self. I hoped that if another young person were to call him about their mental health for the first time, he would approach them with the same understanding he offered me. Maybe then that young person would expect the best treatment, rather than the worst.
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