According to Richard Layard, professor of economics at the London School of Economics and leading ‘happiness guru’, the provision of a range of talking therapies through a network of ‘psychological treatment centres’ can contribute to a substantial reduction in the £7.2 billion invalidity benefit budget.1 Layard's initiative is the latest manifestation of the ‘happiness agenda’ now being enthusiastically embraced by both government and opposition politicians and a range of academic authorities. Ministers believe that of the 2.7 million people claiming invalidity benefits, more than 1 million (some 40% of the total), who suffer from a range of mental health problems, are likely to be susceptible to therapeutic intervention by 10 000 specially-recruited cognitive behavioural therapists, working in 250 high street drop-in centres.
Although we are not lucky enough to have such …