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.

Why because I’m asking uncomfortable questions?

They're not discussing

I had a client today trying to tell me that her husband spends 35 hours a week caring for her. Said husband was in a wheelchair unable to stand, no use of one arm and severely brain impaired. All to maximise the benefits.

It is rife. As much as people like to think it isn't (and will vilify you for saying it) I know of several people who openly admit to lying on forms/in assessments/in doctors appointments to claim PIP/DLA. As many have already said the reason the official statistics are so low is because it isn't properly investigated and even if they did properly investigate, how do you prove that someone is making symptoms up when a lot of them are just the word of the person?

Well let's hope you don't suddenly get cancer or get in a serious car accident in the next 10 years then or give birth to a disabled child. Considering its only 4% of government spending i don't think disability payments is the problem

Because you need to prove you’re getting the support the claim is for. The bar is high for MH provision and you can be incredibly ill and not reach it.

Yes agree. And that this top 10% control much of the media in this country happy to point the finger at everyone else but themselves.

And you know what else no one else is talking about? How we have had a decline in healthy life expectancy thanks to austerity measures from the last Tory government.

We have gone back to 2011 standards. We’re a rich G7 nation and there is a significant difference between North and South areas and even amongst poor areas in the South with other wealthy southern areas, like Edmonton versus Woking.

We have also had an excess of 190’000 deaths in this country thanks to austerity measures from the Tory party. In comparison Covid-19 deaths were around 232’000 deaths. It’s just wrong.

Why do you all know such dodgy people and spend so much time with them that they are giving you full access to their bank accounts and medical records. Don't you have a job?

Exactiy so having evidence in front of you that this wasn’t the case you were able to push back on the claim.

Agree , anyone can say anything to drs and often a lot of the time there is no way of proving anything. What's to stop anyone saying they have suicidal thoughts, no -one can prove what thoughts you have.

But the entire NHS/health bill is "only" 16% of government spending.
So we're talking about a quarter of the entire NHS.
4% is massive

You are EXTREMELY naive, sorry.

You don't get pip for suicidal thoughts you don't even get pip for suicide attempts i can tell you this from experience they don't care it isn't part of the criteria. Also to add you would be lucky to even get mental health help at primary level for suicidal thoughts. Have you ever been under secondary care or rang the crisis team or spoke to mhls after an attempt. If it wasn't so serious it would actually be funny how bad mh services are. I remember a conversation with the crisis team when I was suicidal you know what they said you have capacity

Suicidal thoughts are nothing, you can make multiple actual attempts on your life and still get very little.

It is regularly asked at PIP assessments so must be asked for a reason.

The user who mentioned suicidal thoughts was not doing so as a reason for a pip claim

But instead to illustrate that doctors note/evidence what a patient tells them

And none of that means someone can't make it up. Of course they can, you are incredibly naive.

I have muscular dystrophy.

I was never asked but attempts where in my scr so perhaps wasn't needed but it doesn't fit into any of the criteria

Yes I do, they don't though. I live on a rough council estate and I know a lot of people/have a wide extended family. It is rife.

Is it? One of my children has been in hospital multiple times for attempts on their life and is having a high level of care with multiple hospitalisations and several conditions. He didn’t get it and they didn’t seem that fussed about the actual attempts let alone suicidal thoughts.

I have another child that it is easier to prove their care needs for who does get it.

Why would they just give it out for suicidal thoughts and no actual care needs?

@youalright Not sure why it didn’t quote your post. I do have a progressive condition - muscular dystrophy and I was not entitled to any benefits. I work full time and am very ill. Am I allowed an opinion?

Errr, No. I did not. Stop trying to appear clever, Its not working.

I was wondering if the situation where people are receiving pip for things like depression and anxiety is acting as a disincentive to get better. Once a person has received these diagnoses then they may be placing themselves in the sick role and staying there. Both anxiety and depression are treatable, often just with medication. In the absence of psychosis, a GP can treat them.

Many people continue to work with both depression and anxiety.

I'm not saying PIP is given out for suicidal thoughts, I'm saying it is regulalry asked at PIP assessments as part of the assessment if mental health is the main reason for claiming. I have been present at a number of assesmsents where it was asked.