PIP for mental health whilst working FT?

[Lotsofsausage]

Is this a thing? Just saw it mentioned on another thread.
DP has suffered 10 yrs + from clinical depression and anxiety , highly medicated, but has always worked FT apart from being signed off for a few episodes when it becomes unmanageable. Can not afford regular private therapy though, and NHS provisions not good in our area.
Anyone have any experience in this and know what the criteria is? I was not aware you could receive PIP if working FT for MH.

You'd be laughed out of the assessment.

Should add that I am aware you an get PIP for other disabilities i.e. modified car, care assistance but not sure about MH.

yes whydontyou but saw on here another poster receives it whilst working FT so just wondered. I suppose it's as debilitating as a physical disability a lot of the time.

What would he need PIP for if he is working full time though?

It's hard enough for people with severe mental and physical disabilities to get PIP. It's based on physical impairments and it's extremely rare for them to consider mental health as a standalone issue and even then, certainly not someone who is able to work full time.

PIP is for "some of the extra costs if you have a long term ill-health or disability".

You can get PIP whilst working full time, it is not an out of work benefit.

You can get PIP for mental health.

What you would need to do however, is demonstrate very clearly with lots of evidence, HOW his mental health affects him, how mitigating that is a daily struggle etc.

It is not easy to get PIP for mental health issues, and PIP is not awarded based on what condition you have, but on HOW it affects your life - so I would fully expect that they will assume working full time means it ISNT affecting his life... if you can prove otherwise though, go for it. Expect to be turned down, go through Mandatory Reconsideration and then tribunal appeal though.

PIP isn't a means tested benefit. But it essentially allows me to work part time and I can buy things from PIP to make my life easier. It's been a godsend when it was DLA to pay my childminder when I was off sick and needed to be in bed.

If you are applying OP I would use someone like fightback who have specialists in mental health who can help fill out the form.

RedPanda2 My understanding is the point of PIP is to allow you to lead a normal life, including working. E.g. an ex colleague of mine with a physical disability recieved it towards modified a car as she was unable to use public transport. Someone with severe MH issues may use it for treatment/ therapy. I don't know, that's why I am asking.

PIP is designed to help people live a normal life. It has nothing to do with any other money, so working full time shouldn't make a difference, however in this current climate, it absolutely does.

If you are seen to be doing anything other than lying in a bed sobbing with pain, you'll have a fight on your hands.

Fair point!

Thanks widdlin and groovee. just wondering if it would cause to less sick days/ time signed off and better quality of life generally, if regular psychotherapy was affordable.

You can get PIP when working. It's not means tested.
It's not easy to get though. Prepare for a frustrating slog.

Also surely people who are working FT are paying lots of taxes so shouldn't be too outrageous to ask for some support back when diagnosed with a severe illness, mental or physical.
But yes in current climate probably be laughed out of the room.

I don’t know where in the country you are but we’ve got service users who struggle to get it when they can barely get out of bed or cross a road on their own, let alone go to work.

You could try but I seriously doubt you’ll get anything unless you want to fight, big style, and even then I wouldn’t count on it.

Has he been sectioned before? If not, absolutely forget about it.

It may well do @Lotsofsausage. I'd definitely look at fightback.

I was wondering whether it was possible to claim when working.
I only work part time but I’m struggling physically with the hours I work. I need to reduce my working days but can’t afford to.
I have awful arthritis in my back and shoulder. I’m not struggling physically to walk and sit down for long periods.
I’m too scared to apply though as I feel that there are more needy people than me.
I need to get an automatic car because I’m struggling with gear changes with my left arm.
I’ve just read so many horror stories about people applying that it’s put me off :(

Hi OP

Yes you can. I am a DQTM & sit on PIP/DLA tribunals full time.

Have a read around the 50% rule & repeatedly, reliably etc.

I get PIP solely for MH reasons and work part time but I have been told (written evidence) I shouldn't work full time as I had a nervous breakdown 2 years ago.
It's how high you score on the questions so he could try. You need 8 points for low rate and 11 for higher.

He can apply but it’s very unlikely they’d award it to him if he’s managing to work full time. He’d need to show that things such as cooking, personal hygiene, safety when out etc is very impaired.

Look up PIP descriptors 2018 and see if they apply. I doubt you'd be awarded based on those if he can work full time.

@recklessruby it's 8 for standard & 12 for enhanced

I've NC for this. I do claim PIP, I do have severe MH issues and I do work FT (caveat self-employed).

I have to manage my environment extremely carefully to be able to work. This means the absolute absence of noise, interruptions or unexpected activity. Your husband might not even realise he's already doing things "differently" to help manage his health.

Often when you speak to a professional who helps people with PIP applications they end up asking you things which you'd never considered "telling" before, because for YOU - they are your "normal". For those of us with MH problems - our barometer is fucked anyway so we don't know what's weird about what we do!

When my MH is shit, my body might be here - but my mind is long gone.

Yes, you can. Be sure to detail how your disability affects your everyday life.

I have dissociative identity disorder. It does not affect my ability to study as one identity state in particular, with two others to assist, is geared towards study & talented in this particular area. However, getting her to eat/cook doesn't happen easily as she's also the perfectionist who drove our anorexia. So, I can be working, but then I won't be able to fulfill the 'can independently cook & eat a meal' because I won't be around to manage that, and she won't do it without external prompting.

I can look after my child because that is my identity state's purpose. But when I'm not doing that, I dissociate, so I can't do much independently. We also have child states that can't be trusted to take care of themselves (would you trust a four year old to cook their own dinner, get a bus or train on their own?) So if DD is not around, and adult parts dissociate, it pushes us into needing extra care, or just making do until an adult part switches back in. So, if DD is in bed 6pm, I might only wake back up when she does at 7am, meaning I will have not had dinner because the 4yo part played with Lego til bedtime.

It's fucking complicated to get the support but it's a fucking complicated condition. I wouldn't get it if I wrote down what's outwardly visible- that I can study, manage a house, and raise my DD. But what's not noticed is the effort and extra expenses caused; negotiating bribes with a 12yo to have her clean the house while DD is at nursery, making sure the 4yo has enough time put aside in the evenings that she will be quiet all day, making sure I schedule mealtimes around the anorexic part's time so she doesn't have to freak out... And ofc it takes unnecessary amounts of time to negotiate what we are wearing each day, not to mention maintaining several wardrobes of clothes to everyone's tastes.

All of those score points for PIP. Does his condition affect him on a daily basis similarly? Certain things are made impossible, extremely difficult, or take forever to do because of his condition and he needs to set up complex workarounds?

dark yeah same here unfortunately. Not been sectioned before but had mandatory physcotherapy and supervision for a long time in old career due to trying to hurt himself (trying not to be too identifying here) but since career change that is not provided any more. It is better than that these days but still a constant slog and not much quality of life tbh.

Off to work now, thank you everybody for opinions and ideas. very helpful.