Teenagers and young adults make up nearly one in three people who have recently started claiming disability benefit for anxiety disorders, research has shown.
There were 24,681 claimants of personal independence payment – known as Pip – in England and Wales at the end of July this year with a primary condition of anxiety disorder who had received the benefit for up to two years.
Some 7,403 of these people – 30% – were aged 16 to 24, according to analysis by the Press Association.
A further 5,445, or 22%, were aged 25 to 34, suggesting more than half of recent Pip claimants for anxiety disorders have yet to reach their mid-30s.
There are several types of anxiety disorder included in this category, including panic disorder – where someone regularly has sudden attacks of panic or fear – and social phobias, which are defined by the NHS as a disorder resulting in a long-term and overwhelming fear of social situations.
Older age groups account for much smaller proportions of recent claimants for anxiety.
While 3,391 (14%) of people who have been claiming for up to two years are aged 45 to 54, 2,649 (11%) are aged 55-64 and just 438 (2%) are 65 or over.
Some 5,350 claimants (22%) are aged 35 to 44.
Pip is the main benefit paid to someone who has a long-term physical or mental health condition or disability, and is intended to help with associated extra living costs.
People can get Pip even if they are working, have savings or are getting other benefits and can start claiming from the age of 16.
The Press Association based its analysis on the latest data on Pip claimants published by the Department for Work & Pensions.
A total of 72,195 claimants are listed as having anxiety disorder as their primary condition as of July 31 this year, including the 24,681 who have been receiving the benefit for up to two years.
Of all the claimants with anxiety disorders, 21% are aged 16-24, compared with 30% of those who have only been claiming for up to two years.
Consultant psychiatrist Dr Jed Boardman said the figures as they are officially recorded likely “don’t tell the whole story”, as many people will have “multiple disabling conditions”, made up of mental and physical health symptoms, as well as other conditions such as autism.
Dr Boardman, the lead for social inclusion at the Royal College of Psychiatrists, told the Press Association: “The diagnostic statistics that the Government has produced may help us understand the general picture, but they don’t reveal the necessary level of detail.
“They can be misleading because they only tell a portion of the story about those people.”
It is “very likely” there are issues in the way the statistics are recorded, he added, saying while there “must be some reason” claimants have been listed as having social anxiety as their primary condition for example, “it’s not telling the whole story”.
Dr Boardman said people who develop anxiety are likely to have had “adverse childhood experiences” such as physical and sexual abuse and neglect.
“People who develop depression or anxiety are much more likely to have experienced those sort of experiences in childhood,” he said.
Within the 72,195 Pip claimants with anxiety disorders as of July 31 this year, 3,554 were listed with social phobia as their primary condition, of which 1,238 (35%) were aged 16 to 24.
The NHS describes social phobia as “more than shyness”, saying it is a “fear that does not go away and affects everyday activities, self-confidence, relationships and work or school life”.
There were 3,851 claimants for panic disorder, of which 487 (13%) were 16 to 24-year-olds.
A Government-commissioned review into the costs and operation of Pip is due to be published later this autumn, with an interim report in July having branded the system “no longer fit for purpose”.
A total of 4.09 million people in England and Wales were entitled to claim Pip as of July 31 2026.
This is up from 3.83 million a year earlier – a rise of 262,045, or 7%.
A Government spokesperson said: “The increase in the PIP caseload has slowed under this government, falling from 400,000 in the 12 months to July 2024, to 260,000 in the 12 months to July 2026.
“But as the Timms Review report made clear, PIP is no longer fit for purpose and the recommendations from its final report will lay the foundation for sustainable reform.
“We have also invested in mental health support in schools, colleges and communities, as part of a renewed focus on prevention and early intervention, to make sure that people receive the right help, at the right time – including responding to the findings from Professor Fonagy’s independent review.”