Claiming incapacity benefit / esa for PND

[Orangeflower7]

Hi, I have been claiming IB for 5 yrs since the birth of my first son (national insurance contribution based) after my maternity leave finished. Should have gone on to long term sick but at the time was a bit of a mess and didn't want to tell them so resigned. Anyway my GP has left the practice and also my wonderful health visitor and I am bereft. I have a new GP who is a man and just tells me to see the HV, (new one who is not very helpful/makes me feel worse.) For example the old one used to be so re-assuring, tell me things like 'look to your child, their needs are met, they are happy' whereas the new one always seems to blame me for things eg told me my son would talk more if I talked slower, that sort of thing, and seems anxious when I talk about PND.

Basically with the other one I felt I could tell her anything and it wouldn't phase her, this one I don't trust so much to understand.

Next month my claim is up for re-assesment, it seems like a huge mountain to possibly try to see a new GP, possibly go through an interview with the DWP which is not even in my town, I'd have to leave dc as would be anxious to take them there...am still breastfeeding and it limits the antidepressants you can use so I'm not taking any just now (prozac is very helpful but not suitable)..

Anyway I'm just starting to think it would be a relief not to go through with it all, even if be skint (left a good teaching salary)..

I had a claim review last autumn and it was awful, I was so anxious going so far away from the dc and I think they picked up on that as 'passed'...however i just get so stressed and panicky...but since I have found myself limited in trying new things at all. For example they asked lots of questions about things such as shopping, going on buses...since then have been scared to even try any of these things in case anyone might find out! Does that sound paranoid?

Anyway anyone else similar or with any advice...I don't confide in any friends or even dp hazy about it all...mentioned to him and he thought i maybe should as am 'not good in crowds' hmm he is a bit distracted with his work at the moment.

I think there is supposed to be a new test (for esa?) to replace it so wonder if might be different questions. What I found particularly hard was the yes/no questions which were so difficult to answer as it is not that simple. They also asked me about stuff like playing with the children which made me cry!

Hope you understand

Surely if you are severely depressed enough to be incompatiated then you should be referred to a the community mental health team. You need a pycharisit and a community mental health nurse to help you with meds and with applying for benefits. A pycharisti would have far more idea about breastfeeding and meds. Many GPs are very conservative. Have you tried CBT.

I am shocked that you have suffered for so long with out a secondary referal. You have been badly let down. Depression or anxiety is curable with the right help.

Either your health visitor or GP can make a referal to the community mental health team. If you are lacking confidence then it might help to write a letter. Or ask your husband to write a letter requesting that you are refered.

Yes have tried CBT. Didn't help much. I think with the changearound of people it has been difficult. As I have suffered with depression before the children it comes up with recurrent depression not PND on their screen. I told the new GP I was worried the midwife asked me if I'd like referral to a psch, I'm not sure why really sometimes things are not simple.

Hi, yes like reallytired I am surprised you have been suffering so much without specialist support. If you had a psychiatrist then they would be able to prescribe you AD's that are safe to take during breastfeeding - which might make you enjoy things more and ease symptoms. Why don't you ask the Gp for a referral. The psychiatrist will then be able to help you and support any claim for benefits.

It is a shame you are not trying things out, like shopping or buses due to benefit claiming. ESA is a benefit to help support people back into work and is time limited, so don't know what they will suggest as I don't know when IB stopped been given out.

If you still have a child under one year old you can have access to much support for PND, from a mother and baby team, a psychologist (very hard to get one here unless you have a baby I have found!!), a support worker to help you get out and about etc etc. Can you think about what support you want and ask the Gp to refer you? 5 years not being able to work (if you wished to) and not being well enough to do things is a long time, so hope you can see pass the stigma of asking for help and ask for specific things. If your youngest child is over one year old you just need to ask for a referal to the local CMHT (community mental health team) and the Gp can't refer to do this and everyone is now entitled to a 6 week assessment by someone from the team. They can then assess you and suggest support and help. I have recurrent depression officially and am on AD's and have had support to keep me in work etc, specific help years ago but it helped from such a team. I would imagine if you wanted to claim benefits it would be hard to prove you have sought help or are even ill enough to be on IB if you haven't got a consultant referral or mental health support, as the government are really cutting back on benefit claimants according to all the press. I am not saying you are not ill, just saying that there is help out there - for recovery and to claim IB.

Im in the process of helping my 18 year old autistic son to claim ESA and it is a frigging nightmare, he is in the 13 week assessment stage at the moment and despite his GP giving him a sick note for 6 months ( i think thats the longest they can do at one time ) saying he is unfit to work the job centre calls all the time saying he has to come in for a work focused interview, i am his DWP appointee and despite this they demand to talk to him and tell him he has to come into an interview, the last time they phoned i had a flaming row with the woman and asked her if she was over ruling the doctors note and over ruling the DWP who made me his appointee so i can speak on his behalf and basicaly told her to p off as his SW from the disability team ( who is brilliant ) is going to organise any supported work through SS and i will be bypassing the jobcentre as i have no confidence in them to do what is in his best interests, she replied by saying that he would probably fail the assesssment anyway and have to claim job seekers as the rules have become a lot stricter.
They have a points system and you have to score at least 15, i have went through it online and he scores at least 40 but im still worried.
I will also have to take the bus to the city where they do the assessments which is 60 miles away but im going to fight to the bitter end ( supported by SW ) to make sure he gets ESA because there is no way he can hold down a job.

If you did get referred to see a psychiatrist there might be more that could be done to help you. 5 years is a long time to be unable to work for.

Thanks Kezia. I did get quite a bit of help when my first was a baby especially through the hv and referral to the childrens centre. When my second was a newborn that hv left but I didn't know. As the b'feeding was all fine etc they are very busy and I just kind of buried my head in the sand a bit. I am going to change GP surgery as mine is terribly stretched. There is a baby boom here.

Did you mean the Gp can't refer to the mental health team, or can't refuse? Thanks.

I am not sure if it is PND overall. Mainly a feeling of, for most of the time-

Fear/ foreboding, like something bad may happen, terrible free floating anxiety especially when alone with dcs

Feeling panicky like need to escape, either when alone of around strangers

Feeling tearful and kind of lost., kind of slow in thoughts and fuzzy, dp says very distracted. Find situations like crowds / school pick up difficult, get sweaty/panicky.

I have a terribly anxious mother who has been hospitalised for it which does not help. So rather than having support she needs support.

I don't like talking to new people and also have little time away from the dcs. Do not find it easy when they are around. feel bad as not sure whether am ill or not tbh. mybe just 6 yrs b'feeding/ being preg with no break, taking its toll.

To Bittersweet- I think there are some special rules for people with long term serious health conditions. There is a form about it (well was for IB). My old GP used to just write saying that X suffers from a long term health condition which at present in incapacitating for the next X months at least.

That is terrible them suggesting JSA. To do that I think you have to sign saying are fit to work which your son most probably would not be able to do.

I think the rules have all changed orangeflower, the ESA have either of two groups you can be put into if you pass the assessment, one for serious health conditions/severe mental impairment etc or a suppoted work focused group which im hoping my son gets put into as he is quite high functioning and good with computers but is on ADs for social anxiety, he needs a lot of help with personal care etc and is getting middle rate care and lower mobility DLA but needs supervised all the time and cant go out on his own so i also get a carers allowance as i cant go out to work but due to the jobsworth at the jobcentre i can feel my own anxiety bubbling just below the surface ( thank god for ADs and diazepam ) i think the rule seems to be nowadays " well you can walk and talk so you can work" so you really need as much back up as possible from GP and any other profesionals, psychiatrist etc or it will be hard.

That should be supported work focused group not suppoted lol and through SS with the help of his SW might i add and not some clueless jobsworth from the job centre who is a power crazy idiot ( aaah, i feel better now lol )

Hi Bittersweet, I used to work with children and had a child with autism and his support worker in my group..think you are amazing and you deserve respect and can feel angry on your behalf at the jobcentre stuff...maybe you could just deal with them through the advisory service. Wish you all the best. Hopefully when it is all sorted out the better. just appeal if there is a problem

Sorry - Orange, the GP can refer you, the CMHT can't refuse to assess you now!! So you win both ways.

Yes 5 years is a very long time to have had no real support, and I would have thought recurrent depression is not a diagnosis to have permanent IB for. ESA might give you support like bittersweet mentions. But why not ask to see the hv as well yourself - you don't need to see a new gp practice to get those referrals in place, then you don't need your gp again. Though any Gp should know ADs that are safe in breastfeeing (eg sertraline)...

Thanks orangeflower, im sure probably maybe that DS will Pass the assessment but if not il be the one on the news chained to the assessment centre waving a banner, good luck with your own claim.

Hi thanks again Keziah. To be honest I have felt unable to go and see anyone, my old hv used to come to my house. Taking the dc anywhere new would have been out of the question and until very recently (as dc2 has started a litte bit of nursery) I have been able to seperate with him for a couple of hours..and in that time I just want to be alone. I guess i have left it for such a long time they may just think I've got better, but it's not really like that.

Yes tried sertraline, citalopram too, found they didn't have good side effects with me though. Maybe didn't give them enough chance. Prozac however was helpful and took that since being a teenager so about 7 yrs before having the dc? Then with preg/b'feeding it all changed along with a stressful incident at work and therefore leaving teaching..

I don't think claiming the IB is helping though. I don't think it is doing my self esteem or mental health any good. Although the strain of trying to do teaching would not have helped either. The problem is i don't feel strong enough to work in the brief time I have away from the dc's.

Hi, Orangeflower going to get help is important - why not telephone the hv to make an appointment. I know you say you don't feel you can go to where the hv works, but perhaps it will help you doing this or your gp (even if it is when you take dc for jabs or checks?).

Doing nothing doesn't seem to have helped. You don't have to return to teaching. It must be hard thinking about work when you have been a full time mum, but can you separate that from seeking help to recover? If you are choosing to be a full time Mum and not work, that is your choice but it does not mean you have to struggle. Can you work out what is stopping you from seeking help and get support from your partner to get that help?

I just feel kind of embarrassed and ashamed about it. That they would think for goodness sake she should have got over it by now. That is might be excusable with a baby but with a toddler...or that the hv might try and refer me to the children's centre have dc a child 'in need' that sort of thing. It is the unknow. Wonder if it might perpetuate things and make it more real tbh.

Hi - but surely asking for help is better than you struggling along? If you can tell the claim people what is wrong why not tell the hv so that you can improve? The unknown might be scary but it might lead to better things - so you can enjoy life more, have more choices. I am sure peopel here will tell you that asking for help does not lead to having a child in need. And perhaps as a result of claiming there will be things on your record anyway just not you asking for help, which seems sad. You sound lovely and wnating to get better - and help is out there.