Key facts
- 30% of recent PIP claimants for anxiety disorders are aged 16-24.
- 7,403 individuals aged 16-24 are recent claimants for anxiety disorders.
- 24,681 people had received PIP for anxiety disorders for up to two years as of July 31.
- Social phobia was the primary condition for 35% of its 16-24 year old claimants.
- A government-commissioned review into PIP is due to be published this autumn.
Teenagers and young adults make up nearly one in three people who have recently started claiming the UK's Personal Independence Payment (PIP) for anxiety disorders, according to an analysis by the Press Association. As of July 31, there were 24,681 claimants in England and Wales with anxiety disorder as their primary condition who had received the benefit for up to two years. Of these, 7,403, or 30%, were aged 16 to 24. A further 5,445 claimants, or 22%, were aged 25 to 34, meaning over half of recent PIP claimants for anxiety disorders are under 35. Older age groups accounted for smaller proportions of recent claimants. The total number of PIP claimants with anxiety disorder as their primary condition was 72,195 on July 31, with 21% of all such claimants aged 16-24. Consultant psychiatrist Dr Jed Boardman suggested that official statistics may not fully represent the situation, as many individuals have multiple disabling conditions. He noted that adverse childhood experiences are likely contributors to anxiety disorders.