Personal independence payment (PIP) claims for anxiety and depression have more than doubled since 2019, official statistics show
The Treasury is reportedly looking to slash billions of pounds from the welfare budget ahead of the Chancellor’s upcoming spring statement, raising fears about what could be hit.
These cuts would precede the Government’s long-promised reforms to sickness and disability benefits, which will be outlined in a Green Paper in the coming months.
Ministers have not specified where welfare cuts will be made, but they have said they are targeting young people not in education or employment and recipients of benefits designed to help individuals live independently—commonly known as personal independence payments (PIP).
According to the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP), 3.5 million people claimed PIP in 2024, a 400,000 increase from the previous year.
As the Government considers how it could reform PIP, here are the 20 most common reasons people are claiming PIP:
1. Arthritis
According to DWP figures, around 436,000 people were claiming PIP for either osteoarthritis or inflammatory arthritis at the end of October 2024. The number of claimants in this category has increased by just over a third over the last five years.
Osteoarthritis, the most common form of arthritis, is when the cartilage between joints wears away over time, causing pain and stiffness. It typically affects older people and affects load-bearing joints such as hips and knees.
Inflammatory arthritis, the most common form being rheumatoid arthritis, occurs when an overactive immune system attacks multiple joints across the body, causing pain, swelling, and stiffness. The condition starts much earlier in life than osteoarthritis.
2. Mixed anxiety and depression
The most recent DWP figures reveal that 454,000 people were claiming PIP for either anxiety or depression disorders in October 2024. The number of claimants in this category has more than doubled over the past five years, with 223,000 people claiming in October 2019.
Around 369,000 of those claiming the benefit in October 2024 were recorded as having “mixed anxiety and depressive disorders”, while most of the remaining claimants were classified as having specific conditions such as generalised anxiety disorder (GAD), agoraphobia or panic disorder.
3. Back pain
In October 2024, 253,000 people were claiming for back pain and related conditions, an increase of 40 per cent from October 2019.
For the majority of people in this category, the reason for the back pain was not specified. However, around 35,700 were recorded as having a lumbar disc lesion—when there is a problem with a disk in the spine.
Some 21,000 were also classified as having Lumbar spondylosis, a form of osteoarthritis that specifically affects the spine, while 18,100 had spinal stenosis, an abnormal narrowing of the spine which puts pressure on the spinal cord.
4. Autistic spectrum disorder (ASD)
Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is another condition which has seen a significant spike in PIP claims over the last five years. It is a developmental disability that can affect how people interact with others, communicate, learn, and behave.
In October 2019, around 93,000 people were claiming PIP for the condition, but this increased to 213,000 as of October 2024.
5. Fibromyalgia and other chronic pain syndromes
Chronic pain conditions accounted for 174,000 PIP claims in October 2024, a significant increase from October 2019, when 105,000 were claimants in this category.
Around 158,000 were claiming for fibromyalgia—a chronic condition that causes widespread pain and tenderness throughout the body—while the remaining minority were classified as having non-specified chronic pain conditions.
6. Down’s syndrome and other learning disabilities
In October 2024, 172,000 people were claiming PIP for learning disabilities, of which 22,000 were recorded as having Down’s syndrome. This is a genetic condition caused by having an extra copy of chromosome 21 and can cause developmental delays as well as certain physical traits.
A total of 2,100 PIP claimants were also classified as having Fragile X syndrome, a genetic disorder caused by a mutation of the X chromosome, which can also cause developmental delays.
The vast majority of those claiming PIP in this category, 148,000, did not have their learning disability specified.
7. Bipolar disorder and depression
Mood disorders, including bipolar disorder, were listed as the main disability for 144,300 PIP claimants in October 2024, a 65 per cent increase from the same period in October 2019 when there were 87,500 claimants.
In this category, 55,000 were specifically listed as having bipolar affective disorder—a mental health condition characterised by extreme mood changes.
A further 83,000 were recorded as suffering from depressive disorder, which is often used to describe more severe forms of depression. The remaining 5,000 were recorded as having an unspecified mood disorder.
8. Schizophrenia and other psychotic disorders
The number of people claiming psychotic disorders as their main disability on PIP claims has increased by a quarter in the five years to October 2024, rising from 102,500 to 128,600.
The majority of these claimants are listed as suffering from schizophrenia—a mental health condition which can cause hallucinations, delusions and disorganised thinking. In total, 83,000 were claiming PIP for this condition.
A minority—14,200 in total—were claiming PIP for schizoaffective disorder, which is when the sufferer experiences symptoms of both bipolar disorder and schizophrenia.
9. Chronic bronchitis and emphysema
Around 91,100 people were claiming PIP in October 2024 for chronic bronchitis and/or emphysema, conditions which affect the lungs.
Chronic bronchitis is a long-term condition that causes inflammation in the breathing tubes, leading to a persistent cough. Emphysema occurs when damaged air sacs in the lungs cause difficulty breathing. Smoking and air pollution are common causes of both conditions.
10. Stroke and other cerebrovascular disease
Cerebrovascular diseases are those which affect blood flow to the brain, and 84,000 were claiming PIP for a condition in this category in October 2024.
Out of these, 77,400 were claiming PIP as a result of a stroke, which usually occurs when blood flow to the brain is blocked and can cause long-term impairment to speech and mobility.
Some 2,600 were also claiming PIP for transient ischaemic attacks, also known as mini-strokes, which can be less severe than a stroke. The remainder were claiming for unspecified cerebrovascular diseases.
11. ADHD/ADD
Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a condition that causes people to experience difficulty sustaining attention, hyperactivity and impulsive behaviour. The condition is also sometimes referred to as attention deficit disorder (ADD), but this term has largely been phased out.
Around 75,700 people were claiming PIP for ADHD in October 2024, almost triple the number claiming for the condition five years earlier when 26,700 people were in this category.
12. Epilepsy
Epilepsy is a condition where sudden bursts of electrical activity in the brain cause seizures or fits.
The number of people claiming PIP for epilepsy has more than doubled over the last five years, with 59,800 listing this as their main disability in October 2024 compared to 25,600 at the same point in 2019.
13. Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a mental condition that can develop after witnessing or experiencing very stressful, frightening or distressing events.
Those who suffer from PTSD often experience extreme nightmares and flashbacks, as well as a range of related mental health symptoms.
The number of people claiming PIP for PTSD has more than doubled between October 2019 and 2024, up from 25,300 to 58,800.
14. Chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS)
Chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS), also known as myalgic encephalomyelitis (ME), is a long-term condition that can cause extreme tiredness, sleep problems and brain fog.
The number of people claiming PIP for this condition has almost doubled in the last five years, from 29,300 in October 2019 to 57,300 in October 2024.
15. Multiple sclerosis (MS)
Multiple sclerosis (MS) is an autoimmune condition that causes the body to attack the protective covering of nerve fibres, causing a range of neurological symptoms, including extreme fatigue, vision problems, numbness, balance issues, muscle cramps and memory issues.
Around 56,800 people were claiming PIP for MS in October 2024.
16. Personality disorder
Around 55,500 people were claiming PIP in October 2024 with “personality disorder” listed as their main disability, but no subcategories were specified in the DWP statistics.
Numerous conditions could fall under this category, including borderline personality disorder—a condition that causes emotional instability, disturbed thinking patterns, impulsive behaviour and unstable relationships with others.
17. Injuries/fracture/dislocation
Fractures, dislocations and unspecified injuries accounted for 49,800 PIP claims in October 2024, a 68 per cent increase from the same period in October 2019.
The DWP categorises these PIP claimants by the body part affected, and the majority in this category had suffered an injury to the spine, accounting for 17,900.
This was followed by lower limb injuries (14,700), multiple injuries (8,800), upper limb injuries (5,800), and pelvis injuries (1,800).
18. Diabetes
In October 2024, roughly 40,700 people claimed PIP for diabetes, over double the number from five years earlier, when 17,300 people were in this category.
There are two types of diabetes: type 1, in which the body attacks the pancreatic cells, preventing the production of insulin, and type 2, in which the body cannot make or properly absorb enough insulin.
Insulin is a hormone that manages blood sugar levels, and people with type 1 diabetes usually need to take insulin injections to manage the condition. Those with type 2 are sometimes able to treat the condition without insulin injections or other medication.
A total of 14,800 were claiming PIP for type 2 diabetes and 12,700 for type 1, while around 13,200 had an unspecified form of diabetes.
19. Cerebral palsy
Cerebral palsy is a lifelong condition that can cause poor coordination, stiff muscles, weak muscles, and tremors. It is caused by damage that occurs to the developing brain, most often before birth.
It was listed as the main disability for 40,000 PIP claimants in October 2024.
20. Dyslexia and dyspraxia
Around 36,400 people were claiming PIP for a learning disorder in October 2024, an increase of almost a third from the same period five years earlier.
This category includes those suffering from dyslexia—a learning difficulty that affects reading, writing, and spelling—and dyspraxia—which impacts physical coordination and motor skills.
Some 4,100 PIP claims recorded dyslexia as their main disability, while 3,800 were listed as having dyspraxia.
A further 24,800 were recorded as having an unspecified learning disorder, while 3,700 were claiming for a non-specific speech or language disorder.