PIP for Anxiety

[IntelligenceIsFree]

AIBU to clear things up?

The current nasty rhetoric around disabled people at the moment is astounding. Society needs to be reminded that we are ALL one illness or accident away from disability.

Everyone knows someone who is gaming the system, yet the PIP fraud rate is extremely low. The public demonising, does not match the reality.

The hot topic is “anxiety” and how people with “anxiety” are gaming the system, getting “free” cars and robbing tax payers; this is being constantly fed through media, news articles and so on.

This is simply not true. The people spouting this nonsense clearly have no idea how PIP works. Nobody gets PIP without strong medical evidence. Nobody.

Before anyone posts “my neighbour got PIP just by telling lies”. No, they did not. That’s not how it works.

People need to be educated properly on how benefits work, how they are awarded and what the criteria for mobility cars actually is; the cars are not in fact free.

People need to be educated on the fact that there is anxiety, which every human suffers from at some point, and then there are anxiety DISORDERS which are entirely different and can be life changing and debilitating. Hence, the need and entitlement for PIP.

Brenda down the road who feels too anxious to go to Bingo on a Friday night is NOT getting PIP ❌

Mary up the lane who has such severe OCD that she cannot leave her own home for fear that she will die, IS getting PIP .✅

There’s a huge difference.

The current turning on disabled people is shameful and we are living in a country full of hate because Bob (and his Uncle) are annoyed that they are paying tax to “support all of these scroungers”.

Bob (and his Uncle), needs to hope that they never get cancer, or suffer life changing trauma or have an unfortunate accident to avoid being served a huge scrounged humble pie.

I do not suffer from anxiety but as a human, I am pleased we have a system in society to support the most vulnerable people who need it. Life can happen to anyone.

But cf absolutely is a thing usually caused by things like post viral syndrome, ptsd, cancer patients et etc but I don't think you're understanding how these figures work firstly people usually have multiple conditions and secondly 54% of what 2 people 200 people 2 million people these figures aren't helpfull as figures alone

Absolutely did. I don't know why you need to be so dismissive just because it doesn't suit your narative.

I was there when she had her telephone assessment and was disgusted at how she put it on. And her laughter afterwards when she had finished. I was disgusted to be honest.
I didn't think for one minute that she would get the award but she did and it is for 5 years.
She needs no help with any aspect of day to day care and no issues going out alone.
She calls it her 'pamper' money.

I smell bullshit!

So she has no bipolar diagnosis or evidence she has it- okaaaay.

This is similar to me my condition progressed to far i couldn't afford it anymore alone when I had to reduce my hours at work

Well my neurologist has seen me and supported me through years of ill health/hospital admissions with my chronic condition and she knows exactly how my mental health has been affected by my disability, and my counsellor has been working with me for over a year and I’m pretty confident she can tell that the fragility of my mental health is genuine.

They do regular statistical sampling of claims where they do a review. They do the same for other benefits and find more issues with other benefits. So this method has universal credit at 8% and pip at 1.4% (its gone up) it was at o.4% not king ago.

It makes me laugh these threads people don't even lie convincinly id love to know how she filled the form in without sending in her scr with all her diagnosis on and without a recent prescription and no secondary care letters

it is very much her business if she's a tax payer

Saying that PIP fraud is non-existent doesn't help anyone.

It does exist, however it is hard to prove.

I've reported my FIL multiple times, he's been investigated multiple times, and he's never been sanctioned.

He knows that if he makes multiple doctors appointments to review his medication and talk about new symptoms after looking up the side effects of the last medications, and about how the medication isn't working and he's having flashbacks that keep him awake at night and gets them to keep prescribing him different doses of different antidepressants and benzodiazepines that he can keep playing on it.

The paper trail says he is ill, when he's perfectly well.

And I'm not a disability denier, I claim PIP, my partner also claims PIP. We are both substantially disabled people.

I do think the government is wasting it's time with punitive proposals towards disabled people simply because they know there's no way they can realistically identify the true measure of fraud and it still disproportionately will impact those who genuinely rely on disability benefits, but it serves nobody to deny that fraud is occurring.

We could say that about everything. Private medical details are just that- private.

Many recipients of pip are tax payers.

People in my estate seem to be at very high risk of strokes and fractures going by the amount of mobility scooters and walking sticks I see every day . It's so puzzling.

I think the problem is if people do not know anyone gaming the system then they assume it can't possibly be going on.

100% this.
I used to work in PIP claims for DWP.
Whole system is f*d.
There were claims where I totally knew it was a case like this poser has written. But "technically" it ticked certain boxes. So I had no choice but to grant the claim.
Meanwhile, I had a claim once for someone autistic so I granted 10 years.
10 years was the maximum allowed.
I couldn't see why they wouldn't qualify in 10 years if they qualified today
Seemed like a waste of everyone's time going back and forth on it.
Well, I got disciplined for granting 10 years when it was not an exceptional case. (Though that was not in the guide as a rule)
Literally nothing about the system makes any sense whatsoever.

Also, whilst people do have mental health difficulties - I have done myself -claiming benefits for anxiety long-term is doing no one any good, really.

Have you ever thought your fil is lying to you rather then psychiatrists and psychologists. Like I said previously none of my family know about my bpd a handful know about my bipolar only my partner knows about suicide attempts and only a handful know about me being sectioned. People are embarrassed about this stuff its easier to say im playing on it to get pip then to say im really struggling I have these flashbacks and they're taking over my life and I struggle to look after myself. Especially in a man from an older generation who was brought up with the tough upper lip and men don't cry. Mh isn't real etc etc

I'm pretty sure the man who drives across the country, alone for his job, manages his own appointments in his diary, does his own accounts, cooks his meat and 2 veg dinners every night, and climbs up and down ladders for a living and showers after every day at work isn't lying to us.

And yet YOU feel able to confidently say they aren’t gaming the system? It must be so nice in your world……. The official statistics are meaningless, because they assume that if the government doesn’t officially know about it it doesn’t happen. There is zero adjustment for fraud that people are getting away with.

So you had zero evidence for said claimants?

You are incredibly rude. I wonder why? Have you got such low self esteem that you feel the need to dis anything you dont agree with.

Whether you believe me or not is of no importance really. Im not in the habit of spouting bullshit and couldnt care less if you think it is.
If you have a valid point to make then crack on but if you are just here to spout sarcasm them butt out.

Why do some people convince themselves fraud is low. It isn’t - no government wants to admit it as they would then have to do something about it.

So she has no bipolar diagnosis or evidence she has it?

I work it doesn't mean anything I think you would be amazed at what people cover up. It seems an odd thing to just make up if there is no truth whatsoever in it. How many times do we hear the same line he/she killed themselves there where no signs we just didn't know. If I can hide bpd/bipolar and multiple sections from people he can hide the fact he's struggling from flashbacks

Depends what you class as "evidence"...

People who work for the system are telling you every accusation is investigated.

You are professional. What do you class as evidence?

DS has stopped self harming, so yes, I think it's helping. The woman he sees is lovely and is autistic herself, which I think has also helped.

I've seen the gloves, he'd never wear it outside or to school. We did buy him some quite expensive hoodies of a band he likes and he's doing well at not chewing them so hopefully we'll only have to replace the t-shirts and he has an outer layer that doesn't make us look like neglectful parents. I have no idea how he destroys his tracksuit bottoms as he's not chewing them, he must pick at them instead.

He's very reluctant to wash or change his clothes, so he wears them for a week (or longer) non stop until I persuade him to have a bath, then they generally need to be chucked. And of course we have to get the right clothes that he feels ok in.

It's all so expensive, after the last time the car broke down DH & I were discussing how we can't really afford a car but can't not have one. DS is also currently really into smoked salmon, which is exciting, because new food he'll eat, but also financially crippling. He's doing really well with trying new foods actually, but we're still at the point where if he asks to try something new I don't want to say no - for a long time he lived mainly on pizza and cheese and ham subs.

I receive the higher rate for the mobility element of PIP and the lower rate for the care component.

My award payment has been spent on a mobility scooter (but I can't lift it in and out of a car, so to go anywhere that requires a drive, I have to have someone with me). More recently, I have saved as much as I can from the mobility component every month to buy a lightweight carbon, power wheelchair, which I can put in and out of the car myself. This has given me a whole pile of independence back. It was a substantial cost, and not one I could have afforded without the PIP. I am classed as an 'ambulatory' wheelchair user, meaning I can stand and walk for a limited time and distance. Because of this, I would not be entitled to any help with a powered mobility aid on the NHS, so I am very grateful that PIP is available to me.

I also use the care component to pay a cleaner once a week to change my bed, clean the bathrooms, vacuum, and mop the floors. None of these 'simple' chores could I manage by myself.