To be surprised and shocked that PIP is rewarded without official diagnosis?

[Borntrippy]

Thanks to all the recent threads on the DLA/PIP controversy I’m now aware that you don’t need an official diagnosis for conditions such as anxiety, ADHD etc to receive PIP. Although you apparently have to show other evidence in your claim is anyone else surprised by this information?

No,

And quite frankly you're ignorant to be shocked by it, and sailing very close to ablism.

PIP is nothing to do with diagnosis, its to do with how whatever is going on affects your daily life, so as long as you have evidence that what is wrong is impacting on your ability to function day to day, the official diagnosis is neither here nor there

Why. What are you getting from starting yet another thread about benefits.

Why all the hate for PIP claimants? Some conditions are never diagnosed. The money isn't given freely, one must evidence, with medical documentation and assessment that they are unable to care for themselves across a range of factors. The evidence holds more weight than the final diagnosis (or lack of).

just another person trying to get people to join them in sticking the boot into the disabled.

You best not read the equality act then 😂

I have official diagnoses and they still wouldn't give it to me.

Course it is. 'Surprised' my PIP receiving arse.

You're right you don't need an official diagnosis because it's based on the person needing additional help with everyday tasks.
But it's pretty difficult to get PIP without providing evidence from HCP involved in your care on how your condition affects you. So most people who's application is successful will already be involved with health services and either have a diagnosis or be undergoing tests towards a diagnosis

I’m a MH nurse. It’s practically impossible for someone to receive PIP for a MH condition without being under the care of a psychiatrist and/or (usually and) on extremely high doses of medication and with an extensive medical history. It’s not that “you don’t need an official diagnosis”, it’s that MH conditions can sometimes be hard to define. For example, I’m currently working in an inpatient facility looking after, amongst others, a young man with a provisional diagnosis of treatment resistant schizophrenia. However that diagnosis doesn’t quite fit and so other investigations are now taking place. His PIP claim was completed under a provisional diagnosis of “psychosis” which doesn’t really mean anything on its own, but I’m sure that you can see that he still meets the eligibility criteria for disability benefits. There are many examples of individuals like this who meet the criteria for PIP but still do not have/only have a provisional diagnosis.

Everyone I know who has claimed PIP has needed evidence from medical professionals and has had to fight like gladiator to get it

No. PIP isn’t awarded for a disability. It’s awarded for what you cannot do. Two people with the same diagnosis would be assessed differently depending on they are affected.

For most it’s not hate but just genuine surprise that there are so many claiming state benefits for disorders as opposed to disabilities and that self-diagnosis is technically permitted when applying for said benefits. I don’t think anyone seriously begrudges people with genuine disabilities getting the help they deserve but rather are concerned with the potential for abuse. I personally know of people who abuse the system yet I thought they at least had diagnosis from Drs. I also know people who were clearly in need of help who had it refused which is an indication that something is amiss.

There we go. 🙄

Have you got any idea if how long the process is for some types of disabilities? Four years here. The need was their so PIP was awarded pre diagnosis.
Maybe educate yourself a bit?

Is this thread being started as an insidious attempt to try and influence voting behaviour after the conservatives have had another drubbing at the local elections?
There's been so many of these recently it's becoming ridiculously desperate.

I’m a Labour voter and a Socialist so not in my case.

It’s so hard to get PIP even if you’re entitled to it, someone very close to me had theirs taken off them after claiming for 5+ years and a 30-year history of mental health issues, and inpatient stays and lots of therapy in that time. A person that can’t manage without additional help, and after a phone assessment even when symptoms were unchanged from the last assessment the PIP was stopped. Appealed it but as you can imagine someone with severe long standing mental health issues isn’t up for advocating for themselves in court. Capita, who do the assessments, are notorious for this unfortunately and are always trying to catch you out during the interviews (things like ‘so you can’t go to work half the time due to anxiety? So you have got a job? Okay’ that kind of thing.) If this post is a veiled way of asking if anyone can just say they have ADHD now and get PIP, it’s not the case. It’s already hard enough for people with all the documentation and evidence of the effects it has on their life to get awarded it. It’s shit.

It’s also worth mentioning that waiting lists for diagnoses are years now, in my area the waiting lists for ADHD assessments are years-long. The symptoms that make life hard to navigate as a result don’t stop while you wait for the NHS to work through the list and get you. I was diagnosed by an ADHD specialist by chance during unrelated mental health appointments in a different county 5 years ago, moved house and having to get re-diagnosed in order to get the meds I badly need (can’t get a repeat prescription as I couldn’t afford them during lockdown, and when I could afford them I’d forget to pick them up and the prescription would expire). It’s a stupid system!

Maybe if able people took 1 hundredth as much interest in the lives of the disabled as they do the benefits they receive, the UK would be a nicer place to live.

Just because someone doesn’t have a diagnosis doesn’t meant medical professionals aren’t involved in their care and won’t give evidence for PIP applications. Somethings are tricky to diagnose and it takes time to work out what is going on for someone

No because I have a child who gets the highest rares of DLA so know how the system works ,when it comes to Autism / ADHD etc a diagnosis is pretty pointless as the spectrums are so broad
It goes off extra care needs and how the condition impacts the individual.

Technically you don't need a diagnosis. In reality my PIP was denied the first time as I didn't have a diagnosis (thank you, NHS waiting lists). The second time I applied I had multiple diagnostic reports and letters explaining my condition from consultants, and it went through.

but yeah, as Serendipity says, do you care about our lives apart from the "free money"? Do you care about why we might need it? Or about all the many many layers of inaccessibility we face every single day? Or do you just want to bash benefits?

Not surprised at all. Pip is based on your challenges not your diagnoses.
What you do need is an absolute fuckton of evidence (and the will to go to appeals when your claim is routinely turned down because they know lots of people genuinely entitled to help will just give up if turned down)

As it happens, my sons and I do all have formal diagnoses and still the amount of evidence required was astronomical. The pack weighed a bloody ton what with all the reports, hospital letters, proof of prescriptions etc. They didn't take my word for anything. I had to provide evidence in support of everything I said (and quite right too)

You don't just fill in a form saying I need help cos I'm all sad and hurty and have them go oh no poor you here's the cash.

Then his PIP is doing its job and paying to put him on a level footing with people without difficulties, and enabling him to work. PIP isn’t a replacement for income, it’s to give you what you need to make life no more difficult for you than someone who doesn’t need help, to enable you to live like anyone else - so if it allows him to afford a car with necessary adaptations and take up a job that doesn’t require him to be able to walk, that’s its purpose.

Having social housing and choosing to smoke has no bearing on this. You sound like the worst sort of prejudiced idiot who understands nothing about the world. I’m sure you’re not, though.

You don’t just self diagnose and get benefits.

You are frothing for now reason.

You must be able to demonstrated evidence of the support you need. Lots of evidence.
from medical professionals, support workers etc