Why are ADHD benefits in the firing line?

[FunStork]

I've been seeing this a lot recently.

Feels like the media is very much against ADHD benefits claims.

Why is that the one that seems to be getting all the focus?

Another one from BBC Verify tonight:

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c24ym9yd8p6o

Is this an orchestrated campaign?

I’m not saying there isn’t support needed as it’s a spectrum but it’s the (apparently) everyone claiming because they can there doesn’t seem to be any thought by the people in charge on how to prioritise and there’s just not a huge pot of money for everyone (that would be the dream wouldn’t it)

I take that point and will reflect on my thoughts

So the assessment process is (or was as if last year)

initial phone call (give name, address etc)
form is posted out to you
you have a month to fill out the form and attach documentation
then you have an assessment, either by phone, in person, or for some people it’s just a paper assessment.

the only people I have known have a paper assessment were using the special circumstances route where two doctors sign to say you have terminal cancer plus one bloke who was in an accident and lost limbs.

the vast vast majority of people have either a phone call or an in person interview.

my phone call was 1.5 hours. I’d lost speech by the end of it so they gave up.

as the tiimms review says, the system is not working either for disabled claimants or he government. People who have had amputations and are missing limbs etc are having to go through a very difficult process to get benefits.

very few other countries use the functional system that the uk uses for benefits, more use a medical system where doctors diagnose and some conditions (terminal cancer, car accidents leading to amputations, stroke, etc) are just accepted by the government and claimants don’t have to jump through hoops.

if someone has been in a wheelchair all their life and never walked, having three year reviews of their condition is pointless and a waste of money.

There is no in -person assessment.
That is the criticism of the current system.

They do not have to produce a professional assessment.

You realise that people are using AI to learn how to answer the questions to qualify?

This is what I mean and I don’t think I wrote a very good post as I can see people’s POV.

It's not about levels of suffering, though, is it. It's about ability to live in society, and whether an employer will be willing to employ someone. PIP isn't a reward or compensation, it's an 'independence payment' (it's in the name). Due to a health condition I've been severely physically ill myself several times, will be again and have a shortened lifespan and pain because of it - doesn't mean I don't understand that other people with different problems need a bit of extra support so they can live or contribute to society.

If he got a FT job now his benefits could stop and he would receive more money than PIP - yes you are correct but his parents benefits would also be affected.

If he lived on his own as an adult, then he’d be worse off because he’d get PIP plus universal credit and the housing element etc.

So ultimately he sees himself as never getting a job because him/his parents will always be worse off for doing so.

…And this is the reason I can never start a post asking for advice on helping my nephew. For a start, he is not at university. He would dearly love that. He is at a specialist sixth-form college for his dyspraxia and ADHD. Do you not understand - he is only 18 and would love to find a role in work? I was replying to @TerribleEntrepreneur ’s post because I recognised my nephew in the people she describes. I in no way equate other disabilities, I am frustrated that here is a young man who would love to be useful, earn a modest wage that we can help him budget with, and gain confidence.

Because an adult ADHD “diagnosis” is currently extremely fashionable and many people are seeking it out because it is a trendy thing to do. It’s not helpful to those who are debilitated

So are you actually comparing cancer to ADHD?

I have a diagnosis of autism and adhd that I received at 23 and 30 respectively. I do not consider myself disabled. I run a home, hold down a job, and although I really struggle I’ve learned to adapt over my whole life. Yeah, I have meltdowns and I’m mentally exhausted and have to take time off work sometimes but I do not ever say I have a disability. This is exactly why people think people with ADHD don’t need it. I pay more fines, I earn less money, I am in debt, because of impulsivity but also those are choices I made in my life. I don’t need extra money and herein lies the problem. PIP is supposed to be for support for those who cannot work, and have to pay for expensive treatments.

my exs stepdad got PIP by exaggerating his depression and “agoraphobia”. We went on holiday every year so he was fucking not agoraphobic. I don’t know how he got it. There was nothing wrong with him. Yet when I went with my severe depression and exit a few years ago I was noped out the door with “but you can walk 50m”.

Isn’t ADHD a condition where diagnosis has increased due to heightened awareness, especially in girls and women? Isn’t it still thought to be under diagnosed?

As for PIP, doesn’t unclaimed PIP (for whatever reason people who are entitled to it don’t claim) hugely overshadow the negligible fraud?

I’ve worked with people with cancer - the ability for them to work whilst undergoing treatment varies hugely. ADHD can affect people’s lives in different ways. Often life changes or health issues - having a baby, menopause, health impacts following a covid infection etc - can affect people’s ability to mask.

Because as per usual, too many people take the piss and ruin it for the others who really really need it.

I asked how many people falsely claim, it's weird that you answered that with the total bill for sickness and disability.

And I think you don't understand the kind of wealth I'm talking about.

The government would be better spending the money given out on DLA/PIP for ADHD, on correctly diagnosing and supporting those with it.

Throwing cash out to placate the naughty behaviour ADHD’ers is a lazy government. And before anyone comes for me, I am generalising and I know that there will be those whose ADHD may be severe and have other implications on their lives.

I don't know what 16 year old boy you mean. You mentioned someone whose attitude is they won't work and they'll just claim benefits, but they won't just hand out benefits to someone for no reason. You need evidence.

There's also a wider issue here of lack of support for young people. I've said on MN before I have a family member who used to work with young people not in education, training or work and helped them get into one of those and off benefits. The funding was cut, him and his colleagues no longer do it, the job no longer exists. There's always been a culture of 'don't work just live off the state' among some people, maybe today the excuse is ADHD. But the solution isn't to attack the benefits system.

Private clinics and RTC providers aren't the same thing.

This

Plus it's getting to the point - as we see on here constantly - where the slightest difficulty in anything at all is instantly labelled ADHD, and paying for so many simply isn't sustainable

Assesment for what ?
Would have quslified

"PIP is supposed to be for support for those who cannot work, and have to pay for expensive treatments'

This is incorrect. PIP is not an out of work benefit. It's meant to help with the extra costs related to having a disability, including disabled people who work. And it's not just to pay for "expensive treatments" either.

Being labelled on here as ADHD is very different to getting an actual diagnosis
And it goes off need.

I really think that you have little, to no idea about how the system works, frankly.

Isn’t ADHD a condition where diagnosis has increased due to heightened awareness, especially in girls and women? Isn’t it still thought to be under diagnosed?

The problem is at some point it becomes meaningless - it’s just the range of human experience.

I have severe anxiety but still manage to hold down a job with the help of medication. Would I be eligible to claim PIP?

Did you challenge that?