The number of people with psychiatric problems claiming invalidity benefits has outstripped the number with physical issues for the first time, according to figures from the national statistics office CBS.

In January, 823,000 people were claiming some form of invalidity benefit, of whom 415,000 had a psychiatric or behavioural disorder. In 1998, psychological issues accounted for just 30% of invalidity benefit claims.

Labour inspectors put the increase down to poor leadership, high pressure at work and the rise in temporary contracts, Trouw reports on Wednesday. Youngsters have been particularly badly affected, the paper states.

In total, 85% of the 72,000 under-25s who are claiming invalidity benefit are suffering from stress, depression or developmental disorders.

Clinical psychology professor Jan Derksen told the paper that too many people are being ‘psychologised and medicalised’. A million people are taking anti-depressants but not all of them are depressed, he said.

In particular, the sharp rise in youngsters with mental health issues is down to how children are being raised, Derksen said.

‘We have raised a couple of generations of princes and princesses and have not made them resistant enough to stress,’ he said. ‘Youngsters start work and are given a negative performance report and that might be the first time in their lives they have had to deal with criticism.’

In addition, we still need to learn to adjust to the fact that the gap between work and private live has been eroded by technological advances, he said.