More than 1.5 million people receiving Personal Independence Payments (PIP) have listed a psychiatric disorder as their primary disabling condition, according to the latest Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) figures.
The data, covering April 2026, shows over four million people were in receipt of PIP, with more than a quarter of claims attributing their main condition to a psychiatric disorder. This represents approximately one million additional claimants since May 2025, making it the most commonly claimed condition among the main disability categories the DWP monitors.
Twenty conditions under psychiatric disorder category
Twenty specific conditions fall under the psychiatric disorder category for PIP. Some account for fewer than 50 successful claims, while others approach half a million reports. The top conditions and their claimant figures are:
- Mixed anxiety and depressive disorders – 435,330
- Autistic spectrum disorders – 258,539
- Learning disability (global) – 173,452
- Mood disorders – 156,155
- Psychotic disorders – 131,910
- Hyperkinetic disorder – 100,207
- Anxiety disorders – 69,454
- Stress reactions – 67,990
- Personality disorder – 58,338
- Learning disorder (specific) – 37,710
- Cognitive disorder – 27,092
- Substance (mis)use disorders – 18,145
- Obsessive compulsive disorder – 12,343
- Eating disorders – 8,376
- Somatoform and dissociative disorders – 2,056
- Conduct disorder – 1,273
- Other psychiatric disorders of childhood – 960
- Encopresis – 68
- Enuresis – 46
- Factitious disorder – 41
Eligibility and payment rates
PIP is not means-tested, and a diagnosis by itself may not be enough to successfully claim the benefit, even if the condition is already recorded in the DWP's system. To qualify, the condition must impact either daily living or mobility, with some individuals potentially eligible before receiving an official diagnosis.
PIP can deliver up to a maximum of £191.30 weekly, though not all claimants receive this sum. The level of support depends on how severely the condition affects the claimant. The benefit comprises two elements: the daily living element and the mobility element. Claimants can claim these individually or together depending on how they are affected.
Each element has two weekly rates: daily living enhanced rate at £114.60 and standard rate at £76.70; mobility enhanced rate at £80 and standard rate at £30.30. Due to the varying rates, not every claimant receives the same amount, with some potentially entitled to over £700 monthly if they meet the criteria for both enhanced rates.
To be eligible, claimants must be aged over 16 but under state pension age if claiming for the first time. They must also anticipate the difficulties from their condition to persist for at least 12 months from when they began.
