Daily Calm: Anxiety and young people's PIP claims
Daily Calm, from Central London Hypnotherapy
Official benefit figures reported by Birmingham Live this week show how many people now carry anxiety as the main reason they receive disability support. The article, Thousands of young people claiming DWP PIP for anxiety, draws on government statistics for Personal Independence Payment (PIP) in England and Wales.
What the figures show
By 31 July 2026, 72,195 people were receiving PIP with an anxiety disorder recorded as their main condition. About one in five of them, 21 percent, were aged 16 to 24.
Young adults make up a bigger share of newer awards. Of the 24,681 people who had been on PIP for anxiety for up to two years, 30 percent (7,403) were aged 16 to 24 and 22 percent (5,445) were aged 25 to 34. That means people under 35 account for more than half of recent awards for anxiety. Among those whose main condition was social phobia, 35 percent (1,238 of 3,554) were aged 16 to 24. For panic disorder the figure was 13 percent (487 of 3,851).
Across all conditions, 4.09 million people were entitled to PIP, 7 percent more than a year earlier.
What the figures cannot tell us
These are counts of claimants, so they cover everyone who receives the benefit. They record only one main condition per person, which leaves out other physical or mental health problems such as autism. The way diagnoses are recorded may lack detail. Consultant psychiatrist Dr Jed Boardman, quoted in the article, pointed out that many claimants live with several disabling conditions, and some have been through childhood trauma such as abuse or neglect. The numbers do not show why anxiety claims are rising, and they do not show what helps.
Why it matters in a big city
I meet people in their twenties and thirties who describe a constant low hum of worry that began years before they thought of asking anyone about it. The figures above suggest a wider group is in a similar place: young, anxious, and already feeling that the problem has become part of daily life. A wider conversation about the PIP system is under way too, with a government-commissioned review planned.
What it means for you
- If anxiety shapes your day, you are not unusual. These figures are a sign of how common it has become among younger adults.
- Look for support that teaches you something. The earlier you learn how your own anxious response works, the more choices you have.
- Pick one situation that worries you most and work on it first. A narrow target is easier to change than a general mood.
Hypnotherapy is one route to that kind of skill. The 2019 meta-analysis in the International Journal of Clinical and Experimental Hypnosis pooled 15 studies and 17 controlled trials, and found hypnosis reduced anxiety more than control conditions, with an effect of 0.79 at the end of treatment and 0.99 at the longest follow-up. The authors found it worked better when combined with other psychological therapies. In sessions we practise the response you want in the situations that trigger anxiety, so it becomes familiar before you need it.
My name is Tim Dunton. I have practised for over 20 years, I am a GHR member, and I trained in NLP under Bandler and Grinder. Details of my approach are on the page about hypnotherapy for anxiety in London.
Book a free consultation. Arrange a 15 to 30 minute chat, in person or online, with no obligation: request your free consultation or call 07975 653893.
The research
1. Thousands of young people claiming DWP PIP for anxiety, Birmingham Live, 7 November 2026. https://www.birminghammail.co.uk/news/cost-of-living/thousands-young-people-claiming-dwp-34782122
2. The efficacy of hypnosis as a treatment for anxiety (Valentine and colleagues, 2019) https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31251710/
Tags: anxiety · young adults · research · wellbeing · London
Read more: hypnotherapy for anxiety in London. Or browse all Daily Calm posts.
15–30 minutes by phone or video, no obligation.