Are ADHD benefit claims and work exemptions becoming too widespread?

[JoyousOpalLemur]

This was the top story on LBC this morning.

The number of people who get benefits for ADHD so they don't have to work has gone up by a staggering 40% in just the last two years.

The taxpayer now funds more than 100,000 people to not work because their ADHD makes work too difficult for them.

About 40% of them receive the top rate of daily living and motability allowance - £194 a week - and that's on top of several other benefits. Those who receive this do not have to look for work. This is now costing the taxpayer billions of pounds per year. Most of the beneficiaries are young people.

This is absolutely bonkers!

I know someone very well who receives these PIP payments for ADHD so she doesn't have to work. She's got a lovely flat in London that most people her age couldn't afford.

Her main argument is that her ADHD means she can't work, because it's "literally impossible" for her to follow time and transport rules - which means she never turns up on time at appointments, and often will call about two hours later saying she thought the appointment was a different time, and she's got lost finding it and is nowhere near.

That is true - she does do that a lot. However, she also goes on holiday several times a year. And I've never known her to once fail to make the holiday. Her track record of getting to the airport at the right time appears to be 100%!

This isn't party political - the Tories started this, Labour have made it much worse and Reform will almost certainly mess up trying to sort it out. And I'm not saying ADHD isn't real.

But this is clearly nuts, terrible for an economy and totally unsustainable.

https://www.thetimes.com/uk/politics/article/adhd-pip-claims-no-work-requirement-100000-9qlcpsqws

@ForkHandlesNotFourCandles The number of Personal Independence Payment (PIP) claimants with fibromyalgia has steadily increased in recent years. It now accounts for roughly 3.5% of all applications and is the fourth most common condition for PIP awards.

Have any of the government number-crunchers out there tried to work out why there is an increase in this condition ?

I would say many would use technology to help. Set reminders on their phones, Alexa etc, get chat gpt to write them lists. Having money from pip wouldn’t suddenly stop them needing lists and reminders. My family member with adhd who lives on her own just has to be proactive because there’s nobody doing it for her. It’s harder for her than a NT person but it doesn’t cost her more money. Just more time I would say. She has to come up with strategies that work for her.

The point of my post was not about this condition alone
I could have picked any

The obvious point was as ADHD isn’t one of the main reasons to claim PIP why has it been singled out here

Much the same as a lot of people claiming PIP with other conditions

I suppose essentially the Government need to really look at actual costs

@RubyPowderPuff I think young people are shafted. There are no decent jobs for them

There are plenty of jobs for people who bother to make themselves employable by getting the appropriate skills.
Having a "Mickey-Mouse Degree" is no use.

Plenty of jobs here from Engineers to Cleaners - https://www.totaljobs.com/jobs/in-lincoln?cid=SEA_BG_UK-TJ-LOC---E%7CEM%7C%5BA%5D_c_lincoln--%7CLOC4827--_lincoln+jobs_RL_rsa&loc_interest=41414&loc_physical=41471&s_kwcid=AL%217101%2110%2177515769991267%21%21%21%2177515977640134%21%21662921295%211240250186361662&ef_id=b95e3cacf35b10cc20e856e001b8aa71%3AG%3As%E2%80%8B&adjust_t=1j9h397y_1jw75f25

@Watchoutfortheslowaraf

Having money from pip wouldn’t suddenly stop them needing lists and reminders

Of course not, but this is not the purpose of PIP, it doesn't cure your condition. The fact someone needs extensive reminders etc is just one small way in which the ADHD affects their daily life, one of the multitude of ways in which the disability impairs them, hence why ultimately it can merit an award.

It’s harder for her than a NT person but it doesn’t cost her more money.

Well if she's having to set reminders on phones, use Alexa etc, those are things an NT person will not always have to do, and if it's purely because of the ADHD, then the cost of buying and operating a phone, subscribing to Alexa and so on in order to keep on top of the ADHD is absolutely an added cost that someone who does not require these things does not need to meet.

For a lot of people with ADHD the complication isn't just remembering where your stuff is, getting up on time, and getting out the door, it's the stress and anxiety of dealing with this which degrades the mental state in the longer term. I've seen my partner trying to cope on their own, and they manage for a while, but it eventually falls apart and their life completely unravels, they become extremely mentally unwell, and this is despite using every trick in the book to try and keep on top of the organisational stuff, the sleep hygiene, the routine etc.

It's nowhere near as straightforward as just set an alarm and everything will be hunky-dory.

Because your brother has managed to start working and stayed employed doesn’t mean all people with ADHD can.

Like my dh is autistic has always worked. It doesn’t mean my friend ds who is also autistic can.

Like it is fir ANY illness/disability, people are affected differently and at different level.

Thats why PIP is given, NOT according to a diagnosis but according to struggle with daily life tasks.

So basically it’s great your brother can work. It tells you nothing about other people and certainly doesn’t allow you to generalise to all.
It would be like saying ‘oh look xyz has become an astronaut/a physicist like Steven Hawkins so everyone on the planet can become an astronaut/a world renowned physicist.’

Except that if you look at the ratio number kf jobs available vs number kf applicants it’s something like 1:4.

My ds is going to graduate in September. Not a ‘mickey mouse degree’ Andi can tell you its very hard out there.
Without going into the fact you’d hope someine with a degree won’t be working as a cleaner. In part because it’s a waste of capacity and because people with no qualification need those jobs!

I think I know the facts better than you do.

Thats why PIP is given, NOT according to a diagnosis but according to struggle with daily life tasks.

This is a vitally important point which is almost completely overlooked.

You do not receive a PIP award simply because you have an ADHD diagnosis. It's awarded for the same reasons it's awarded for any other condition or combination of conditions. It's awarded if the conditions impair your everyday life to the point whereby it's determined a payment is merited.

ADHD applicants are also rejected at a rate over and above the average award rate for all conditions, so despite the nonsense about it being "easy" to get a PIP award for ADHD, the actual figures show it's more difficult to receive an award for ADHD than average.

@SummerDive "Without going into the fact you’d hope someine with a degree won’t be working as a cleaner. In part because it’s a waste of capacity and because people with no qualification need those jobs!"

When I was a student I worked in retail, hotel housekeeping, boarding kennels and waitressing in the holidays.
I also did a course at college in Shorthand & Typing.
All of this gave me work experience and improved my skill set.

When I was made redundant from the job I trained for, I was able to get temporary admin work with a well-known company that sold plastic containers.

I also volunteered for a well-known animal charity. This charity took on young people to give them work experience.

Lots of options out there for people who are versatile.

@Shadymeadow - have a look at these jobs. Do they pay enough for housing, food transport to & fro work?
Have a look at how many applicants there are per job
And lastly, look at the requirements. Some are highly unrealistic if you are an 18yo school or college leaver. Never mind about post graduate job opportunities because not everyone wants to take the financial risk or has the support to go to university.

As I said, opportunities for work aren't that great if you are 18-25...

So they were either student jobs or temporary fillers…

How is that going to help someone with a disability?
How is that going to create jobs suitable for people with mobility issues (if you have high mobility PIP, you have major mobility issues)?
And how is that going to solve the fact there are many more people looking for a job than offers.

I mean, great you found all those jobs (whatever number of years ago). This doesn’t mean 1- it’s still that easy to find a job, incl a student job and 2- those jobs are suitable for disabled people with high daily activity needs AND mobility issues (which is what the OP is talking about)

Last time this came up (it’s about once a week at the moment) I went through the thread and replied to every post that contained a factual error (about 40%) of them and linked to the accurate statistics.

but honestly I’m reaching the point where I think people just want a scapegoat and disabled people are easy to target.

very few people care that this is fake news.

Discussion on radio two said for the rise of the 40% claiming, ADHD was the main diagnosis.

If you did a shorthand typing course it would suggest your experience was quite some time ago & not in this current economy.

same as mine.

Which is not the same as that of my young nieces. .godchildren/friends kids/neighbours kids......

it is a different world now, entirely.

an example: my god daughter went to her mandatory meeting in the last heatwave. An hour each way on the bus. Absolutely melting. They suggested volunteering for the uk depart if the 2027 Tour de France (Glasgow & Cardiff I think. She lives in the SE of England & would have to pay her own transport/accommodation etc. his is that any help to her?? Her parents are supporting her already, they don't have several hundred pounds to fund her volunteering.

Having a phone isn't an extra cost though. Everyone needs a phone as almost everything is done online now

Unless I'm missing something and there's some special phone just for ADHD?

Phones aren’t great solutions for people with ADHD anyway

better to have masses of alarm clocks going off every few minutes

Phones Make ADHD Symptoms Worse
Constant phone use can increase inattention and distractibility.

Constant Interruptions: Frequent alerts disrupt focus and cause restlessness.

Fragmented Attention: Switching between apps constantly mimics ADHD hyperactivity.

Real-World Example
Think of a phone like a slot machine for the brain. For a typical person, it is easy to walk away. For someone with ADHD, the excitement of "what happens next" is much stronger, making it hard to walk away from the machine.
Experts suggest learning how to "work with your brain, not against it". To take back control, try to manage your digital space.

So, factual correction:

receiving PIP does not entitle you to free dentist, free prescriptions, any kind of housing benefit, etc.

it does entitle you to buy a disabled person’s railcard for 20 pound which gives you a third off rail travel.

it doesn’t automatically entitle you to a blue badge either that is a completely different system and each local council has it’s own criteria

I think most people would agree that there needs to be more support for people with disabilities to get them into work.

i myself used to crawl up stairs when the lift was broken because I worked and I fucking needed the job.

what people object to is the “fake news” - I can’t read the Times article but your post has multiple factual errors.

if you are going to suggest changes they should be based in reality not in some spun by the newspapers to generate outrage fantasy world.

PIP is for people in work or out of work. Changes in how many people are on PIP have nothing to do with how many people are in work.

more people with adhd on pip has absolutely no link to free prescriptions/housing/etc and the tired old trope of “a life on benefits” - maximum PIP is 10k a year and nobody is living off that.

reference to show maximum PIP because unlike the “fake news” crowd I don’t make stuff up.

https://www.pipexpert.co.uk/blog/pip-how-much-will-i-get.html

The purpose of PIP is to pay for the extra costs of your disability. Needing lots of reminders is annoying but it is not costing you money. Alexa was just an example. You can use your standard phone which I’m sure most people own for reminders, lists, AI support etc. you don’t need a special phone. it’s hard to come up with strategies to support yourself but it can be done without needing extra money for it.

This reference does not say what you think it says.

it says that some people who get pip might be eligible for universal credit.

this is correct. Some of them are.

but universal credit is a separate benefit with it’s own criteria and it really isn’t “highly likely” that someone who gets pip will get universal credit.

for a start you have to have less than 16,000 in assets, so I certainly wouldn’t qualify (Own my home, have a private pension and significant savings).

Additional costs to those who have ADHD
aren’t difficult to fathom if you know anything about the condition

Adults with ADHD pay roughly an extra £1,600 each year, often called the "ADHD tax". This happens because executive dysfunction causes issues with planning, focus, and memory. These hidden costs include:

Forgotten Fees: Late charges on bills or forgotten renewals.

Impulse Spending: Buying unused hobbies or items as a quick boost of dopamine (a brain chemical).

Lost Items: Paying to replace frequently misplaced things like keys, phones, or wallets.

Convenience Purchases: Ordering takeout or using expensive delivery apps because planning and cooking feel too overwhelming.

Direct Healthcare and Support Costs
Medication and Therapy: Ongoing private or specialist treatment and prescriptions.
Specialised Help: Costs for executive or money coaching, as well as educational resources or tutoring

to name just a few

In the past ten years, ADHD diagnoses have doubled in males and quadrupled in females due to better understanding and more sufferers seeking help. A rise of 40% in PIP claims for ADHD is probably a lot less than you’d expect for the number of newly diagnosed patients. Not “dodgy” at all.

You cannot expect extra money to order takeaways, that’s ridiculous. Or even for impulse spending. That’s completely ridiculous. Medication, fair enough.

even losing and keys and wallets- most people use Apple Pay. And have phone insurance. I lose my keys all the time. You can get a tracker on them like an air tag.

late charges on bills- you have automatic direct debits set up?

I'm not saying it isn’t a difficult condition but when there are people out there genuinely needing PIP, to say people with ADHD need it for takeaways and buying things for new hobbies is making a mockery of the whole system.