Expanding access to NHS Talking Therapies could help reduce long-term economic inactivity among people with ongoing mental health problems, University of Manchester researchers said on Apr. 17.
The study comes as mental health needs continue to rise and highlights the potential for therapy services to improve labour force participation among those affected by chronic mental illness.
Researchers analysed data from more than 535,000 working-age adults collected between 2015 and 2020 through the Annual Population Survey. They investigated whether regional differences in the availability of NHS Talking Therapies were linked to workforce participation. The analysis found that people with long-term mental health issues were less likely to be part of the labour force compared to similar adults without such conditions, showing a participation gap of 36 percent in the sample.
After accounting for personal and local factors, the study found that increasing therapy appointments by one per referral—about a 22 percent increase—was associated with a nearly one percentage point reduction (0.92) in this employment gap. The association was most notable among people aged 45 to 65, men, and those not claiming benefits.
Decades of evidence show that both pharmacological and psychological therapies can reduce symptoms and improve productivity, absenteeism, and workforce involvement. The NHS Talking Therapies programme was launched in England eighteen years ago as what is considered the first large-scale initiative aimed at expanding psychological treatment options, reducing stigma around seeking help, and making support more accessible.
Although previous research has focused on individual patient outcomes from these therapies, this study examined broader impacts across different regions. The authors suggest that greater availability of therapy may indirectly boost economic activity by encouraging help-seeking behaviour, reducing stigma within communities, and influencing how general practitioners manage mental health cases in primary care settings.
They also noted that only about one-fifth of working-age adults diagnosed with a mental health condition receive an NHS Talking Therapy course. This suggests there may be wider community effects when these services are made more broadly available.
Lead author Joe Dodd is a PhD researcher at The University of Manchester.
