Benefits for Bi-polar and other conditions

[Atissue123]

Looking for help. A family member has type 2 bi-polar and depression plus obesity. I have offered to support them in looking into claiming benefits. They have never claimed before and don't have the mental capacity to go about it. Lives alone and has been supported by (now elderly) parents' money until now and also been able to work themselves at a reduced level (from home, desk based) but their health has deteriorated a lot and now they cannot work at the same capacity and are getting into debt.

Does anyone know what would be the best place to start in terms of researching benefits? I think they should be eligible for PIP and possibly the mobility aspect (has breathing issues due to obesity due to medication). They have been told by the psychiatrist that they cannot change medication as they are currently 'stable' and cannot take anything to reduce weight on current psychiatric medication.

I am wondering if anyone has any experience of a similar situation and can offer any guidance of where to start.

PIP is very hard to claim for so the first thing you should do is ring citizens advice and they can talk you through the application. It’s almost something you need to be coached on. Then be prepared they may still not give it to you if she seems like she has more than half a brain cell.

Go back to the psychiatrist, if she’s depressed it will be because she’s having a depressive episode. If she’s having a depressive episode then she’s not stable.

In terms of where to start it’s going to seem like the most basic information. Sleep, exercise and healthier eating. There is no controlling bipolar without sleep.

She needs to be getting at least eight hours of sleep a day, some of us actually need quite a bit more than that. She needs to be getting outside for a walk every day so she can build up to exercise. I HATE exercise but it really really does help my mood. In terms of food, depending on the medication snacking is not your friend. Try and limit sweets, make sure she’s eating balanced meals with lots of veg. She doesn’t have to go crazy and only eat salad with no dressing but at least two healthy meals a day is key.

I take wegovy alongside my meds but it is expensive, and does have the potential to make your mood plummet. I’m not sure she’d be able to access it on the NHS and my psychiatrist said if I choose to use it has to be under the care so mood is monitored. I hope that helps.

Are they already on UC?

If not, I would start there and ask for a limited capability for work assessment.

Thank you for this. No they’re not on UC or PiP currently and never have been. There’s definitely limited capability to work now (but there is some capability).
I’ll make an appointment with Citizens advice and go from there. Before now they have been working self employed for many years but income has been up and down due to health. Sometimes unable to work for many weeks or months etc. But health has now deteriorated so work is becoming very difficult for them.

Has the medication caused weight gain? Lamotrigine is supposed to be weight neutral and a consultant told me that it is prescribed as a first line treatment for bipolar type 2, before lithium which can cause weight gain.

For UC you don't ask for a work capability assessment as such but it will be automatically triggered after sick/fit notes are submitted for a period of time. Can he manage his affairs or would he need an appointee?

Meds that cause so much weight gain the patient is struggling to breathe and move surely needs reevaluating.

Yes they definitely need an appointee to manage this (which will be me).

The weight gain has been an issue for many years but now is much greater due to recent dosage changes. He has been reviewed very recently but the psychiatrist has said the meds can't be altered as that's a bigger risk so it's got to be diet and exercise to help lose the weight which they really struggle with. Exercise is happening at a very low level as they feel unwell on the medication and can't therefore exercise much beyond a bit of walking / some weights. I will double check the meds and dosages now.

There's no way meds are causing weight gain like that. You still need to eat too much and not exercise enough (as in put more calories on your body than you use) to gain weight. There may be a tiny percentage of people that just can't loose weight but in general this is how it works.