On the BBC’s Sunday With Laura Kuenssberg, Ms Kendall is asked about why there are one million more people now on health related benefits compared to 2019.
Asked if she really thinks a million more people are not capable of work compared to a few years ago, she says it’s down to a number of factors.
She says that includes a rise in mental health issues, including some people “self-diagnosing” their mental health problems.
Asked whether she believed that “normal feelings” were being “over medicalised”, Ms Kendall said: “I genuinely believe there’s not one simple thing. You know, the last government said people were too bluesy to work.
“I mean, I don’t know who they were speaking to. There is a genuine problem with mental health in this country.”
She says this is down to reasons like people being “much more anxious” over the cost of living, as well as the impact of social media.
On other reasons why people might be on health benefits, she says: “We’re also seeing more people in their 50s and above, often women, with bad knees, hips, joints. We’ve got a real problem with our health service.”