Would I be entitled to anything, or shall I carry on struggling?

jimimi

Hello

It is a friend of my dad's that has given me the job, I don't have a contract or anything like that, and I didn't have to apply so I didn't have to declare my depression before getting the job. I am paying tax and national insurance though so I am on the books and doing things legit. I have rang the docs today cos I am fed up of feeling like this, not that I expect them to do anything. Don't know where to turn at the min.

Oldernotwiser

jimimi wrote: »

Hello

It is a friend of my dad's that has given me the job, I don't have a contract or anything like that, and I didn't have to apply so I didn't have to declare my depression before getting the job. I am paying tax and national insurance though so I am on the books and doing things legit. I have rang the docs today cos I am fed up of feeling like this, not that I expect them to do anything. Don't know where to turn at the min.

Surely a family friend will be aware of your health issues?

jimimi

Oldernotwiser wrote: »

Surely a family friend will be aware of your health issues?

No it is my dad's friends dad, if that makes sense?

Muttleythefrog

jimimi wrote: »

Hi everyone

I'm off work with depression at the mo, I knew that a big downer was coming as I can just tell. I am on 150mg of sertraline and have been seen by a psychiatrist (sp?). I just don't seem to be getting any better, I barely have the energy to tidy up and do the housework, let alone go to work. Would there be anything I could claim for the times I feel like this? The psychiatrist said that I have major or severe (can't remember which) depression. There is no cause for it that anyone can identify. Can anyone help?

Thank you

Ironically my situation had some parallels.. I was made redundant.. then got a job and after a month in it mental illness made going back on the monday inconceivable.

You've received some good advice above... aside from employment situation DLA could be considered.. nothing to lose other than limited energies you have. From what you've said above then there may be DLA care considerations regarding needing motivation to do personal care tasks.

But yes... it may be that you come to a fork in the road or have reached it where you have to take a direction. That direction is trying to remain in this job and trying to get better with treatment while possibly trying to get sickpay or the like and possibly ESA if long term. You could try desperately to seek another job that would be suitable to your health problem.. but that might be difficult and you may find such work amounts to nothing more than an adhoc job based at home that demands much lesser 'energies' and reliability. The other option is to consider giving up work and turning to a life of benefits and trying to get treatment... with a view to potentially working in the future again or not. There are some considerations regarding the last option that are already raised in the thread.

It might be worth discussing with GP or ideally your psychiatrist your situation... see what they think... they may say give medication a chance.. they may say this pattern is likely to continue and holding down jobs will be difficult. I made the right decision in leaving work for good (although I was dismissed as unfit technically).. and I've no intention of working again. The general advice is that working can help with things like depression but often mental illness is a little more complicated than that... working, according to my psychiatrist, has seriously impacted my health for the worse such that it has caused other mental illness to become prominent. Each individual case is different. I found SSRIs ineffective and sertraline was the last tried... I'm about to try a tricyclic AD as a last resort.

jimimi

Muttleythefrog wrote: »

Ironically my situation had some parallels.. I was made redundant.. then got a job and after a month in it mental illness made going back on the monday inconceivable.

You've received some good advice above... aside from employment situation DLA could be considered.. nothing to lose other than limited energies you have. From what you've said above then there may be DLA care considerations regarding needing motivation to do personal care tasks.

But yes... it may be that you come to a fork in the road or have reached it where you have to take a direction. That direction is trying to remain in this job and trying to get better with treatment while possibly trying to get sickpay or the like and possibly ESA if long term. You could try desperately to seek another job that would be suitable to your health problem.. but that might be difficult and you may find such work amounts to nothing more than an adhoc job based at home that demands much lesser 'energies' and reliability. The other option is to consider giving up work and turning to a life of benefits and trying to get treatment... with a view to potentially working in the future again or not. There are some considerations regarding the last option that are already raised in the thread.

It might be worth discussing with GP or ideally your psychiatrist your situation... see what they think... they may say give medication a chance.. they may say this pattern is likely to continue and holding down jobs will be difficult. I made the right decision in leaving work for good (although I was dismissed as unfit technically).. and I've no intention of working again. The general advice is that working can help with things like depression but often mental illness is a little more complicated than that... working, according to my psychiatrist, has seriously impacted my health for the worse such that it has caused other mental illness to become prominent. Each individual case is different. I found SSRIs ineffective and sertraline was the last tried... I'm about to try a tricyclic AD as a last resort.

Thanks Muttley, very useful post. I seem to start on an AD and am fine on it, but after a while it is as if I become immune to it, if that's possible I don't know. I've been on Fluoxetine, Citalopram and Sertraline of various quantities, I've begun to wonder if I am actually depressed or whether it is something else.

I have very bad social anxiety and hate going out of the house. I hate new situations and at the minute, when I leave the house I am very paranoid and get a kind of inner voice going on all the time, I call it a running commentary, but it's things like, those people in that van are going to get you and kidnap you, or if someone is walking behind me, then I think they will stab me in the back or strangle me. I also have extreme tiredness at times and just have to go to bed.

I don't really have anyone who understands me in my circle of friends or family, they either don't know about it or are of the "snap out of it" mindset.

At least on here others have been through it and can relate to it all.

jimimi

Do you think I would be likely to get ESA if I applied for it? Would the Jobcentre be able to tell me? Thanks.

Benefits_Bod

If you are a tenant, you may also be entitled to Housing Benefit and/or Council Tax Benefit. The latter benefit is also available to owners. Both benefits are means-tested and the fact your partner is working full-time won't, in itself, be a bar to those benefits.

It's possible for a claim for HB/CTB to be automatically made at the same time as making a claim for other Social Security benefits such as JSA / IS / ESA. HOWEVER, my firm advice is to contact your local council and claim HB/CTB directly from the council.

Basic rule of thumb 1: always make claims for benefit at the earliest opportunity - you may lose out if you delay.

Basic rule of thumb 2: never assume that info given to one body (i.e. DWP / LA / HMRC) will be passed to one of the other bodies - even if it should be.

jimimi

Benefits_Bod wrote: »

If you are a tenant, you may also be entitled to Housing Benefit and/or Council Tax Benefit. The latter benefit is also available to owners. Both benefits are means-tested and the fact your partner is working full-time won't, in itself, be a bar to those benefits.

It's possible for a claim for HB/CTB to be automatically made at the same time as making a claim for other Social Security benefits such as JSA / IS / ESA. HOWEVER, my firm advice is to contact your local council and claim HB/CTB directly from the council.

Basic rule of thumb 1: always make claims for benefit at the earliest opportunity - you may lose out if you delay.

Basic rule of thumb 2: never assume that info given to one body (i.e. DWP / LA / HMRC) will be passed to one of the other bodies - even if it should be.

Thanks very much for this BB.

Muttleythefrog

jimimi wrote: »

Thanks Muttley, very useful post. I seem to start on an AD and am fine on it, but after a while it is as if I become immune to it, if that's possible I don't know. I've been on Fluoxetine, Citalopram and Sertraline of various quantities, I've begun to wonder if I am actually depressed or whether it is something else.

I have very bad social anxiety and hate going out of the house. I hate new situations and at the minute, when I leave the house I am very paranoid and get a kind of inner voice going on all the time, I call it a running commentary, but it's things like, those people in that van are going to get you and kidnap you, or if someone is walking behind me, then I think they will stab me in the back or strangle me. I also have extreme tiredness at times and just have to go to bed.

I don't really have anyone who understands me in my circle of friends or family, they either don't know about it or are of the "snap out of it" mindset.

At least on here others have been through it and can relate to it all.

lol... I tried exactly the same SSRIs. I get similar experiences when going out and so avoid it..lol. Likewise I have nobody who understands.. in fact the more information I divulge the more unbelievable the responses.

There may be other conditions affecting you. Some of the symptoms are not typical of depression alone.

Muttleythefrog

jimimi wrote: »

Do you think I would be likely to get ESA if I applied for it? Would the Jobcentre be able to tell me? Thanks.

In terms of qualifying for it... assessment phase you need sicknotes usually to qualify. Then for main phase you'll have a work capability assessment. This post (link below) may help regarding that... see if you would assess yourself to pass the WCA.

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/47090429#Comment_47090429