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Claiming pip for anxiety and depression ?

Posted , 26 users are following.

lonleymummy
lonleymummy

I'll try and keep this story short ....when I was 9 I witnessed the bakery across the road from were I lived blow up due to a gas fault I also seen the owner in flames and as you can imagine it was a traumatic experience which caused me to have mental health problems including panic attacks , my mother took me to my gp and I was diagnosed with nervous ashma . When I was 14 years old my school friend collapsed and died on the school field and this caused me to have panic attacks more often than I was having them before ....I started to go off the rails underage drinking etc at 16 I became pregnant to my ( current ) partner and not long after found out he had a heroin addiction which also made my mental health worse with worrying if he was going to die ....I'm now 33 years old and suffer with severe anxiety ( I hope its anxiety anyway ) I have irrational thoughts constantly, I'm terrified of loosing my children I'm always thinking something bad is going to happen , I'm paranoid I think people think bad of me or are being funny with me . I'm still with my partner he is in prison due to his addiction he was diagnosed with bipolar last year . I'm sick and tired of these thoughts and feelings I have every single day and also if one of the children have hurt themselves like cut a finger etc I have a meltdown that I can't control I'm screaming and I can't look at the injury I over dramatise the situation and then end up with palpations , hyperventilating and shaking uncontrollably I'm mentally exhausted . My memory has gone awful I forget everything including important things , I'm constantly drained and sleepy ( I fall to sleep fine at bedtime I just can't stay asleep all through the night )

If I consume alcohol the next day is horrible my head just goes and I'm more prone to have panic attacks and paranoia ..

I think its time to visit my gp because I can't cope with this much longer but Im scared in case he thinks I'm loosing the plot and locks me away

and I also struggle to tell him how I feel I just can't seem to express myself .

My health visitor knows a tiny bit of my situation and tells me to claim pip because my condition affects my everyday life and I'm unable to work due to the panic I have , I would end up having a panic attack and running out of work .

I'm just so fed up of my situation I wish I was a normal person who could function properly but unfortunately I live every hour of every day in fear of something bad happening , I don't see how I would be awarded a claim for this because I'm not actually disabled its my mental health I suffer with

Any advice would be much appreciated

2 likes, 28 replies

28 Replies

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  • jackie79930
    jackie79930 lonleymummy

    Posted

    Go for it apply .get as much doctors reports and take your time filling in the firns.do you have a con or a phyciatrist who can do a report for you
  • mary_24931
    mary_24931 lonleymummy

    Posted

    You have had such a difficult life; my heart goes out to you. I'm assuming you have had counselling for all the trauma you have experienced. If not, please do ask your GP to refer you, or re-refer you if it's been a long time since you've had any. I would think you have a valid case for claiming PIP and would urge you to phone the DWP to get the ball rolling. The forms are huge but perhaps your health visitor can help you fill them out, or point you in the direction of an agency who can help you. Please do see your GP as he/she would also be of help in giving you a letter of support (you may have to pay for this though).

    PIP would enable you to get the help you need to enable you to cope better with life. The process takes a while but it's worth the wait if you are successful and you have nothing to lose by applying. Are you receiving ESA if you are unable to work? Sending loving thoughts to you. Mary x

  • mike09523
    mike09523 lonleymummy

    Posted

    Hi,

    You need to see your GP. Take your phone or tablet with you and show your GP what you have written down. Much easier for them to read your story than listen to it.

    Best wishes,

    Mike.

  • anthony97723
    anthony97723 lonleymummy

    Posted

    Hi Lonelymummy

    Obviously I’m not a medical expert but I have worked with many similar individuals like you who display all the symptoms of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). Your opening post is a classic description of someone suffering with this very brutal Mental Health Condition.

    Firstly I would advise you to go and see your GP and talk to him about your problem so you can get proper treatment.

    As for PIP many claimants suffer with Mental Health problems whether it is Depression and Anxiety or something very much more serious like PTSD.

    However, it is not HAVING the condition which is important it is how the condition affects you. Generally those who receive help from PIP have problems with motivation and need to be prompted or supervised to carry out a number of descriptors which include preparing a meal, taking nutrition, washing/bathing, dressing/undressing, taking medication, toilet needs, social interaction and budgeting.

    If your mental health affects you so badly that you simply can’t be bothered to do any of the above and someone has to intervene by prompting, assisting or supervising you then it is possible to score enough points to be awarded PIP.

    You will need medical evidence and the support of a healthcare professional such as your GP or social worker. Google PIP descriptors and see which activities/descriptors apply to you and if you can indentify more than 8 points then you should apply ASAP.

  • les59996
    les59996 lonleymummy

    Posted

    Back in 1995 in South East London when I was 47 I tried to stop an armed robbery taking place. There were two guys, one with a baseball bat and the other with a hand gun. Whilst everyone else was cowering I went for the guy with the gun. I almost got it out of his hand when the other decided to treat my head as a ball. The blow put me down on the floor whilst the gun man then shot me twice.

    ​When I came round there were armed police everywhere and I ended up on a stretcher in the back of a helicopter!

    ​I spent years seeing mental health this and mental health that together with a spell in a secure psychiatric hospital under section.

    ​I was diagnosed with PTSD, Depression and Altered Personality due to Frontal Lobe damage.

    ​I had DLA High Mobility/Middle Care from 1995 to 2016.

    ​Lost that so tried for Attendance Allowance a month or two back. That resulted in no award too.

    So still in a mess mentally, yet not enough of a mess to qualify for any disability benefit.

    I hope you are more successful than I am.

    • anthony97723
      anthony97723 les59996

      Posted

      Les the above is consistant with your previous telling of the story but in this case it would be helpful if you told the OP why you lost out on DLA. It wasn't because of your medical conditions it was because you had a difference of opinion with the DWP over how to apply for PIP.

    • les59996
      les59996 anthony97723

      Posted

      Thanks Anthony, yes to confirm that I had my DLA taken off me because the DWP refused to accept that I had sent them two letters requesting a PIP1 form to start off the transfer to PIP instead of doing it over the telephone.

      They didn't believe that I had even written those letters never mind posted them as I did not send them by recorded delivery.

      What I was also pointing out that given all of my medical issues the DWP are of the opinion that they are not sufficiently serious enough to require help from another person when making a claim for Attendance Allowance.

      Maybe the only alternative is to give in to my thoughts and feelings and end up back in the secure unit - maybe then they would take me seriously?

    • Governor
      Governor les59996

      Posted

      Hi les59996, just read your report to lonelymum, have you been for a tribunal? If not then do so, mostly everyone has to go to this final judgement, I know my daughter has been turned down so now we are asking for a tribunal. Visit the CAB with your papers and make an appointment they will help you
    • les59996
      les59996 Governor

      Posted

      No, it's  too late now.

      ?Besides I have given up trying to claim anything - I've had enough

    • Governor
      Governor les59996

      Posted

      Dear les59996

      Don't give up this is what they want you to do.

      Make an appointment with CAB please.

      We all feel like that it's not worth it, but I will not let them win

    • les59996
      les59996 Governor

      Posted

      I don’t want to bore you with the why’s and whatfor’s but to be honest after 21 years of the hell that the DWP have put me through & the delicate position of my health – appealing and going to a Tribunal is the last thing that is one my mind. If I did win with an appeal for the AA claim, it would only be a matter of time before they start the whole damn thing rolling again with further re-assessments. Anyhow I am beyond the 30 days allowed to apply for a MR.

      My one and only option left open is to put in another AA claim. The fear with that apart from the stress incurred in filling out the form and going back to the GP and various consultants for updated evidence, is that they will either (a) re-use the assessment report already recently carried out, or (b) be forced to undergo another assessment along the same lines as last time.  

      Neither option appeals to me.

      Thanks for your concern through

  • Governor
    Governor lonleymummy

    Posted

    Dear Lonelymummy. You do need to see your GP, who may transfer you to a Pertnership Hospital one which deals with mental illness, do not worry they will be able to identify and help you, it may take a time as they always have long waits. Do not let your Doctor fob you off with tablets, say you want to see someone,especially if you are having suicidal thoughts. Yes you can get PIP but get all the medical side done as they will need to see evidence. Don't worry please, I have suffered the same for on and off over 60 years and I have managed to turm my life around. You can talk to "Time to Talk"  "Mind" they will be listed if you do feel capable you can even get in touch with the Hospitval Trust (not acute) and refer yourself. Let me know how you get along

  • lonleymummy
    lonleymummy

    Posted

    Thank you all for your replys I'm truly grateful and it also encouraged me to see my gp which I have today , I have been diagnosed with panic disorder he has give me sertraline to take and referred me to see a cognitive therapist .

    My condition affects my day to day life , I have read the side affects of sertraline and one of them is anxiety !?! I'm now worried about taking this medication ...Is anyone familiar with this drug ? And share your experience please

    • michael3990
      michael3990 lonleymummy

      Posted

      Hi ive been on sertealine for about 8 years now ive been diagnosed with severe depression ptsd anxiety and a whole load of others origionally i was awarded top rate mobility and care then it was stopped had an assessment and the nurse who did it scored me zero had to appeal which i have won the care part back. Sertraline can cause anxiety usually short term till its in your system so id see your gp you may have an anxiety disorder in which case you may need more tablets.
    • jacqui1272
      jacqui1272 lonleymummy

      Posted

      Hello

      When i first saw my gp re my anxiety & depression he put me on a mid level dose of sertraline & booked me in with a CBT therapist

      I was treated for PTSD due to a violent assault i had suffered a few years before, i found the therapy very useful for the ptsd but sadly my anxiety around other people & social situation's has gotten far worse & i now rarely leave the house

      After 6mths my gp upped my sertraline dose to 350mg to try to help my symptoms

      Almost straight away i felt far worse, i began to have severe irrational thoughts about harming others & i begged him to change my medication which after another 3 very stressful months he did

      I now take venafluxin & Propranolol & although i still get anxious in certain situations i can at least function & get through the day

      Sertraline is not for everyone so pay attention to any changes to your thoughts, feelings etc & if your'e worried go back to the gp & state your concerns

      Good luck

      Jacqui1272

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