To be frightened about the Government’s plans for benefits reform?

[PilgorTheGoat]

I am one of the millions of people currently on long term sickness benefits. I receive the LCWRA element of UC and PIP due to poor mental health and autism. I have severe anxiety and depression and I am awaiting an appointment to see if I also have PTSD due to sexual abuse in my childhood.

I have tried every element of support offered to me. I’m maxed out on 2 different types of antidepressants. I have had back-to-back (excluding the 6 month wait in between) 12 week sessions of counselling offered via the NHS. I am on a waiting list for intensive CBT due to my possible PTSD. I am currently having twice weekly private, video counselling appointments.

I can’t leave my house alone due to panic attacks. I struggle to meet my own care needs and my husband has to do a lot of the work for us both (although he works full time). I have a very understanding friend whom I force myself to go for a short walk with twice a week in order to stop myself becoming completely imprisoned at home but I find this very distressing and we have to take the same route each time.

I am so, so scared about the government’s plans to end sickness benefits for people like me. We don’t have a load of spare cash, we’re just about getting by. There is no support available. I’ve taken everything offered and my husband has been very proactive in seeking out other services for me to be involved with. I’d love to be better, I’d love not to live in fear but there is no help.

Reported.

For what?

I completely agree. I think that people need to be assessed for what types of work they CAN do, even if it's only working from home.

I have a family member with severe depression, and I don't believe that staying at home for years on end helps with this. It makes depression and anxiety worse. What is perhaps needed is help and support in finding the right jobs and learning to become a functioning member of society again. What on earth did all these people do before we had benefits?

I am generally left wing and support benefits etc. But recently even I have got worried when reading the stats re numbers of people unable to work. I fear for my kids. If they work, I fear the tax burden that will fall on them and their peers in the future to help fund all the public services needed.

Good. Rightly so.

You can stop worrying. The conservatives aren't going to get in.

What on earth did all these people do before we had benefits?

Starved or went into workhouses. I suspect some people would like to revert to that.

Telling other posters they should die is clearly a breach of the site rules.

I have been out of work for 14 years, not claiming benefits for 14 years.

Exactly ell said I with you on this 💯

A lot of them are having to claim Uc because of huge private rents and not enough social housing. rental prices have soared way above what the average worker can afford and Tories are happy for that taxpayers money to go to private landlords. the whole system is abhorrent.

🙄

@ThisOldThang you're incapable of empathy towards people who might have barriers to working.

There are a few fraudulent claims but not everyone, no idea why some people think benefits are the land of milk and honey.

I was thinking about this earlier today. My mum ( now sadly deceased) had severe mh issues most of her adult life ( possible Bipolar) and never really held down anything other than very part time jobs that didn't last long. She never claimed a penny in benefits. maybe she just didn't know they existed ? My dad just used to work all hours to pay the bills/ mortgage etc and provide for us.

Some people are gonna be shitting bricks when all the disabled are the ones looking after their kids, their parents, their admin, the call centres 🤣 making their food, boxing the hello fresh.

Ya know, those minimum wage easy jobs 🤣

What jobs exactly do you think these people can do?

I hope you're ok OP. You shouldn't have to work if you can't.

I coordinate benefits and care for a girl who was human trafficked. Quite why anyone would want a highly stressed, petrified of men, very vulnerable girl to serve them is beyond me. And she's not told anyone apart from her carers why she doesn't work. I don't doubt she has many neighbours judging her.

It really won't end well for anyone.

If you have a mental health condition that stops you working, what do you do all day instead?

This, don’t vote Tory.

So why do you compare yourself to somebody that's been fraudulently claiming disability benefits for 30+ years?

You may want people like him to die in the proverbial ditch but, the reality is, if there is no welfare state, they will simply rob people like you in the streets and in your homes.

Desperate people do desperate things when they get hungry.

A person who hasn't worked for that length of time is not going to walk into a job.

Unless you're so wealthy you can afford a private squad of mercenaries to guard you at every turn, I'd be very careful what you wish for.

You're projecting.

My brother suffered a serious brain injury as a child and receives disability benefits.

I just have zero respect for people that cheat the system - and there are almost certainly millions of them.

You've obviously lived a very privileged life and went to a completely different school to the one I attended.

Presumably therapy.

Making sure they eat.

Taking 10x longer than others to pee.

Clean their house.

Exercises in mental capacity to even get up to do any of those things.

They don't do anything easily. It takes them a lot longer to brush their teeth than it takes mentally well people.

and there are almost certainly millions of them.

Unlikely when unclaimed benefits far exceed those claimed fraudulently.

I’m sorry but I won’t be blackmailed into providing free things for would-be criminals.

OP

You said this:

I have tried volunteering, tried to take gentle steps back into the working world but the more anxious I became, the worse the flashbacks from my childhood became to the point where it is now overwhelming. I barely sleep and when I do I wale up screaming. I’m exhausted.

Is everything you tried, like your prior job, office style, or involving some human interaction?
Have you tried something that's not at all like that, just a manual task?
E.g. before even thinking of volunteering, your own gardening? If that went ok, trying to 'up' it maybe, e.g. making a prettier garden, or vegetables maybe?
(Sorry I can't think of something else in terms of manual tasks, this was just an example.)

My sibling too.

I've been privileged in some ways but not in others, don't know why that came up.

I agree if people are actually 'cheating' as you put it but with long term unemployment there can be myriad factors at play like loss of confidence and skills and these are things the government aren't addressing.