We've had friends round tonight and while we were catching up they suggested DH might be entitled to PIP.
As a background, he has suffered with lengthy bouts of depression of varying severity for over ten years. He's seeing a psychiatrist, a therapist, and an occupational therapist. He's been off work sick with this latest round and is likely to be off for another few months at the very least. His employer has been quite understanding, the occupational therapist is via their referral.
If he was to get PIP we wouldn't be rolling in it (is anyone!?) but it would mean we could afford for him to drop a few hours each week, maybe even an entire day, and still have the same standard of living we have now but his work - life balance would be vastly improved (something that has been suggested to him).
Except he doesn't want to ring up for the forms because there's "no point" and it's "too much hassle" filling them in 
I've tried saying that at worst they say no, sorry, you don't qualify and at best they do award him and it can help improve things for him but he's in a trough at the moment so can't see it that way.
AIBU to think he should apply?
AIBU?
to think DH should apply for PIP?
TinselHalo · 30/12/2014 00:39
He's been ill since he was 18, on and off. He gets on top of it, is fine for a while, and then it comes back. This current bout has lasted around six months so far and will last at least another 9-12 as the therapy is making it worse right now (he was told this might happen though) and it's likely to reoccur throughout the rest of his life.
When he's in a trough, like he is now, it's a hard slog and some days his biggest achievement is not killing himself. I know that sounds cold but his depression has had me to the brink of depression many times, I had some sessions with a counsellor to help me cope with it and the way of coping that works for me is to emotionally detach myself from his depression, not him, but the depression almost as a separate entity. I can't explain it very well. Anyway. In troughs he doesn't eat, he doesn't get dressed, he doesn't wash. He has to be nagged, persuaded, cajoled, and jollied to meet his basic needs. On very dark days he can't be left alone. My biggest fear is that one day he will decide to permanently opt out of life.
He has prescription costs for his medications (although I now know you can get a prepayment card for this), taxis to and from therapy because it's two buses to get there, they go half around the world too so it takes over an hour and then he's in no fit state to bus after the sessions, he'll only get the NHS sessions until they consider him to be 'better' but in reality he's going to need them long term so then there's the cost of a private therapist. And I know it's trivial when so many in the world are worse off but it's little things like extra food. I make dinner and he can't eat so it gets binned then later on he can eat, that's two meals and it adds up. It's extra laundry when the stress has upset his IBS and he has an accident. It's new clothes when his weight dips or balloons.
Thank you for the replies. I will phone them this afternoon 
i have bipolar, applied in june and still waiting. im on the bones of my arse but the form isnt geared towards mh. you could ask cab for help but they said here noone has been approved locally on mh grounds so they did see the point and wouldnt help 
it's a rough process, get his cpn to fill it out with you to aliveate some of the stress
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