Benefits explosion- where will it end?

[TheBlueKoala]

"PIP benefits explosion: Anxiety and depression handouts have nearly TRIPLED to £4.3bn since Covid - with autism and ADHD bill hitting £2.2bn and 'back pain' £1.6bn"

Something is not right here. When I have written before on here telling about people I know who claim for anxiety although they have rich social lives (funded by 440£ extra per month from PIP) I've had many people telling me that it's not possible etc. It sure is. How many 16 year olds are claiming PIP for anxiety?

Instead of benefits why not pay for therapy- invest massively in the NHS mental health support so that people with anxiety, adhd and autism can see a therapist regularly to help them. This would make a difference for tje individual and the society. Throwing out money won't.

AINBU- I agree with about
AIBU- No, extra money is always useful

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-15510221/PIP-benefits-anxiety-depression-austism-ADHD-pain-Covid-Labour.html

Some people don't realise how horrific these assessments are.

Especially the LWCRA which was shorter than PIP but more intrusive.

When discussing my autism and how I had just left a job because I could no longer cope and this was a pattern from previous jobs too, I was asked how I am not coping, and had to detail how panic attacks felt like time had stopped and how I would never stop feeling this sense of dread, and how meltdowns made me peel the skin off my feet in reems until they bled and I can't walk due to stress induced trichotillomania and how I have been so severely self loathing that I just can't adapt that I've bashed my head in, and how I feel such horrible remorse afterwards for putting myself and everybody through that, that my only option left feels like I've to end my life because at that point in time I would give anything to put an end to what feels like an emotion frozen in time with no end in sight.

The questions they asked were: how many times have you tried to kill yourself, when was the last time you tried to kill yourself, and have you tried just not having a meltdown.

Of course I've tried just not having a meltdown. I've just not been 100% successful, and persistently having my needs unmet, and made to feel like a workplace inconvenience so far has not helped.

Lots of things, depending on the individual. A cleaner or meal delivery service when depression makes those things feel impossible, taxi’s if anxiety makes public transport too difficult.

I don’t understand how you can’t see that just because you are able to work full time doesn’t mean everybody with the same diagnosis can. Autism is a spectrum, I have a family friend who is autistic and is very well spoken, brilliant at their job, lives independently, but just struggles socially and suffers due to masking at work. My husband has a family member who is autistic and doesn’t really speak at all, can’t get themselves washed or dressed, could not be left home alone for an hour nevermind live independently. Same diagnosis, one is able to work full time, the other absolutely could not. It’s really pointless to compare.

The NHS was crap, schools had leaking roofs, and we had pot holes before Brexit too! Brexit (like Covid) may have accelerated the problems, but we DID have problems pre Brexit, we've had problems for decades and no politicians capable of providing solutions. Just a succession of different coloured politicians kicking the can down the road. Brexit and Covid are just harder kicks!

I absolutely think that vulnerable and disabled people deserve help. I am not sure that throwing money at them is actually helpful. I don't claim PIP and I don't think I should be eligible for it. I have ADHD and I have strategies to manage it. My life is a bit more stressful because of it. Having an extra £300 a month or whatever it is nowadays would not cure any of my ADHD symptoms.

YANBU but people accept their problems in exchange of money. They wouldn’t want therapy or someone coming in to clean / cook for them

This is so insulting to those of us with MH issues. I fight daily for help that isn’t forthcoming. My husband and children have raised concerns and complaints. I worked previously in difficult occupations (safeguarding related). The negligence within the system now is absolutely shocking. It’s been made clear to me I’m a nuisance and I know full well that when I die, the professionals will be relieved and not found accountable.
Very, very few MH beds available. If hospitalised, no therapy, poor care. No day hospitals. Horrendously long waiting lists. Incorrect diagnoses.
I used to have a life, a job, friends, purpose. Now nothing. I can’t leave the house, I can’t drive. I’m a person I don’t even recognise. Constant hallucinations. Strange experiences, self harm, suicidal. Poor sleep. No exercise as I cannot leave the house. Hugely overweight now.
Id swap with you in a heartbeat.

Exactly- who on earth believes anything the DWP say ?
I'm sick of this 0% fraud statistic being churned out on these threads.
I know multiple people exaggerating to get benefits. I'm sick of it.

That’s the exact point I was trying to make (clearly badly) I’m agreeing with you in pointing out it is not the diagnosis but the needs

I made the post to respond to the idea that it’s ’mental health conditions’ that are the dodgy claimants when that’s not true. There is a spectrum of need in physical and MH conditions

What on earth did i just read?!

A diagnosis doesn't make someone automatically eligible for PIP, just like someone can be eligible for PIP and not have a diagnosis.

I expect you dont flood the kitchen and the bathroom regularly, throw all your tooth paste condiments ,toiletries etc down the sink given a chance , regularly destroy your clothes ,,smear toothpaste coffee over bewly painted walls ?
These are just a few of the things my autistic son does
Its a very broad spectrum.

But the 0% fraud is in relation to PIP specifically and those people will be claiming other benefits like health related parts of UC more likely

I’m on the other end of this. An employer who would happily take on a 50+ who hasn’t worked for years. No skills required, we’ll teach you the job. But in the interview (that the job centre case worker sent them to) they will sit there and say blatantly to our face, the money isn’t enough, I don’t intend on going back to work, good job the government pays me. The job centre people know what’s going on but appear to be powerless.

We’ve been employing people for over 20 years. The rise in anxiety and other issues in youngsters is terrifying. It’s like they are proud to have a badge. 20 years ago these people would not have been proud to be on benefits.

There are many cases of people with sigo ofi any mental health problems. But for so many people the rhythm of purposeful, meaningful work that’s partly outside can be such a good foundation. We’ve had a few of our employees come of anti depressants whilst working for us and they credit the fact that it’s a small family business where they feel value and cared for. They do a job that matters and gives them pride.

I bumped into a very poorly neighbour just yesterday. She had to stop working through totally mucked up body after she fell over last year and the NHS for the last 5 months, pushing her from one dept to another, rather than give her an MRI and put her down for an operation which is bloody obvious. This is on top of other health issues that she has but has managed to keep plodding at work with, She has two sons living with her. She's not been able to even shower since then, she cannot move half her top half of body at all and the only help is painkillers from the GP, insane.

She metaphorically had to jump through burning rings of fire to be awarded the lowest award of PIP and getting a sick note from the doc has been an ordeal too.

I don't understand why, if it's so hard to be awarded PIP, why so many people are supposed to be milking the system? Why not fix mental health and the NHS so more people like my neighbour can go back to work? Last I heard (and forgive me if am wrong) but over 2 million people had their ability to work impacted by ill health and waiting on the NHS. Wow. I REALLY hope people don't blame Labour for the increase on benefits. They didn't create this shitshow with the NHS.

People won’t like this but there literally isn’t any more money to throw at this or anything else without a huge overhaul of where all the taxpayers money is currently being spent. There’s huge wastage from the government in all areas, and until someone comes in and audits the government and all the corrupt pointless contracts handed out, areas like this will never be properly resolved.

Ah! Sorry. Yes, we agree, Diagnosis isn’t necessarily relevant or needed, it’s specifying the additional support required that is critical.

I do think an awful lot of posters believe having a diagnosis immediately triggers PiP which is nonsense.

A part of it is the type of jobs that are available. A lot of jobs that would suit someone with anxiety or autism have been automated out of existence

Shepherd, lighthouse keeper, railway signal man, farmers are all jobs that were often done by people who were a bit "odd" as it was probably termed at the time.

My great uncle, "Old John who spends his life up on the hill with his sheep, nice bloke but a bit peculiar" was probably autistic.

How many jobs are there these days where you just have your job, you get on with it day by day, it doesn't change from year to year, there's no KPIs, no manager, no customers, little conversation? Just you, and the job.

Lwcra awards aren't always indefinite. Mine was for 18 months - the rate of lwcra is also being cut for new claimants from April
Lcwra is also not easy to get for mental health

I do not mind paying my taxes and supporting people who need help getting back on their feet.

I do mind not having enough money to support myself and my family despite working full time due to excessive tax.

If I can't afford for my kids to go to private school in a taxi - why am I paying for someone else's?
If I am struggling to pay my mortgage - why are I paying some scumbag landlord over the odds to house other people.
If I can't access the medical health I need and am paying privately, why am I covering everyone else's?

It goes on.

I don't know where my post said anything about a diagnosis.

Where will it end? A two tiered health & schooling system.

Those that can afford to go private will. Those that cant will have to do with much much worse than what we have now. This will translate down to benefits too. We are already seeing issues with schools not being able to afford 1-1 teaching assistants and schools/councils struggling to cope with the numbers of children who disrupt (Yes its horrible to say this) the majority.

Where do i see it. They are going to get left behind unfortunately. There isnt the money to pay for it and what used to be deemed a missbehaved child is now being categorised as SEN which isnt helping the genuine cases.

Having been the parent of a child disrupted for years and years by a SEN child in class i fully support the need for them to be taken out of mainstream classes if the funding isnt there to offer them suitable care. Its not fair on the majority.

Obviously this is earlier than your OP but it will then result in these people either being let down by society with no help or they will 'reset' the categories.

It seems to have been going up steeply for ten years, not just since Covid.

I need back surgery. The NHS won’t do it. Can I have a voucher for that, please?

Everything else is incurable. I’m already on the max treatments (e.g. biologic injections). I’ve got cancer as well but it’s not late stage and I’ve had surgeries for that.

I actually still work freelance. I even do some pro bono work for others. Still paying taxes and NI. And I claim PIP.

#RockAndRollLifestyle

Ai is coming to put most people on a universal sit-at-home wage, so I wouldn’t worry about it.

What change's do you want to see? It can't only be benefits what else. Politics in this country has taken an interesting turn. No one can sort out this shit show it's up to us to educate our young so they can sort it out. The mavericks are in control it's one big pantomime until someone intelligent sorts this out all I see from each party is broken records. Farage is not the answer he started the broken record.