ESA Medical Assessment - Anxiety Disorder Questions

Muttleythefrog

nannytone wrote: »

Both of my kids work for the DWP and my daughter had someone present her with a sick note, saying they were coming off JSA and claiming ESA.
the reason for the sick note? 'low mood'

Ah.. could be a lazy doctor or like in my case. When I claimed ESA after leaving work and approaching the medical profession my sicknotes typically said 'anxiety'... I think the last one I had to present said depression.. but that was because I said that on the phone when I requested it..lol. GP didn't typically even fill out the document.. just sign.

But 2 years on from my days of 'anxiety' I have a multitude of problems diagnosed... took some effort too..lol

Certainly agree about ESA though.. the WCA hopefully one day will be well administered.

bestpud

What I've found with mental illness is, people tend to exaggerate every little symptom that, in reality, many of us experience all the time.

Just thinking of what somebody said about meticulously planning and worrying about appointments weeks before - that is normal for anyone with mild anxiety or lack of confidence. I do it, my OH does it and DD(19) does it - but we are all capable of working.

When I was receiving benefits for mental illness, I'd have put it down to the illness too, but I'm not so sure now.

We (DH and I) don't answer telephones unless we know who it is either (caller display is fab) and will avoid making calls at all costs. That's about personality and because we aren't natural conversationalists, so worry it will all go wrong.

We very rarely have people to our house and will avoid answering the door if we can too.

Do you see what I'm saying? That's normal for us and nothing to do with mental illness....

I could go on but won't bore you. I've not even started on my memory and lack of organisation - I am rubbish at taking my medication unless DH gets onto me, but we don't see it as anything more than a PITA that I can't sort myself out! It's not a 'care need' as some seem to think.

I guess I'm saying it's very easy to see everything as negative and a hurdle, when many aspects can be overcome and are actually 'normal' to some extent?

Muttleythefrog

bestpud wrote: »

What I've found with mental illness is, people tend to exaggerate every little symptom that, in reality, many of us experience all the time.

Just thinking of what somebody said about meticulously planning and worrying about appointments weeks before - that is normal for anyone with mild anxiety or lack of confidence. I do it, my OH does it and DD(19) does it - but we are all capable of working.

When I was receiving benefits for mental illness, I'd have put it down to the illness too, but I'm not so sure now.

We (DH and I) don't answer telephones unless we know who it is either (caller display is fab) and will avoid making calls at all costs. That's about personality and because we aren't natural conversationalists, so worry it will all go wrong.

We very rarely have people to our house and will avoid answering the door if we can too.

Do you see what I'm saying? That's normal for us and nothing to do with mental illness....

I could go on but won't bore you. I've not even started on my memory and lack of organisation - I am rubbish at taking my medication unless DH gets onto me, but we don't see it as anything more than a PITA that I can't sort myself out! It's not a 'care need' as some seem to think.

I guess I'm saying it's very easy to see everything as negative and a hurdle, when many aspects can be overcome and are actually 'normal' to some extent?

Well it's the usual problem of definitions. There isn't anything hard coded about these things hence diagnosis typically relies on pressing sufficiently hard enough buttons of a set of buttons that describe typical symptoms. For about 18 years I worked (or studied) and pressed none of the buttons... and tried to 'manage'. Now I do press the buttons and have given up the ghost..lol. Same regarding the MH definitions of personality disorders... probably everyone presses some buttons that describe the various recognised PDs.. some people are cautious so start pressing buttons in relation to taking decisions etc

bestpud

Muttleythefrog wrote: »

Well it's the usual problem of definitions. There isn't anything hard coded about these things hence diagnosis typically relies on pressing sufficiently hard enough buttons of a set of buttons that describe typical symptoms. For about 18 years I worked (or studied) and pressed none of the buttons... and tried to 'manage'. Now I do press the buttons and have given up the ghost..lol. Same regarding the MH definitions of personality disorders... probably everyone presses some buttons that describe the various recognised PDs.. some people are cautious so start pressing buttons in relation to taking decisions etc

I think this is why, in theory, ESA should have been a good change. It's so easy to get caught up in mental illness and sometimes people would realise they are more 'normal' or more capable than they think if they actually tried moving back into the real world.

After years of being encouraged to look at every symptom or experience through mental illness lenses, the outside world looks very frightening and it's easier to retreat back into the shell and think every issue is a major hurdle.

I am convinced allowing people with depression to retreat into their shell for months/years is wholly inappropriate and many long term sufferers are victims of our welfare state.

It's not the case for everyone, of course, but when someone is spending hours trying to learn their way through an ATOS assessment, I do wonder if it's time to stop and take stock...

cit_k

It should be time to take stock yes, people should not have to learn anything, they should not have to learn how to appeal, how to complain, how to fight the misjustice that is so common.

The stock that needs to be taken, is why is such an unfit system being used.

cit_k

GEMGIRL67 wrote: »

I used to work for the civil service for years, when it used to be the unemployment benefit office and used to sign people on who were on the dole, you got to know who the genuine people were, and the ones who didnt want to work. Then I spent 11 years working for the inland revenue and that place caused me and a lot of other people to have a complete nervous breakdown. I could not use the computer properly until a lot of people had gone home because every time I tried to type I would shake like hell, it was an open plan office the size of a warehouse, with about 100 people, and no screens partitioning sections off. I used to nearly faint when I had to walk down the whole length of the office due to panic attacks. I still suffer greatly all these years lately, and have been having counselling for almost 18 months cos of the issues I have. Its not just a low mood, its the shakes, they are awful. To put me in a similar atmosphere would be like trapping a wild animal in a corner. Then I am in constant pain cos of the arthritis and cant stand for long periods, I told the assessing Dr this and she gave me zero points. I know of a lot of people who are not as ill as me and they claim attendance allowance, disability allowance,income support have free bus passes, and mobility cars. I wasnt greedy, I only claimed basic incapacity benefit, paid hundreds of pounds in dental costs etc. Its the genuine ones who they are hitting out at.

I also know a lot of people who have children with mild learning disabilities and are getting £200 a week in benefits and are telling lies, they post on the facebook walls asking advice what to do to say their kids have ADHD so that they can get all the benefits. Whereas the ones who have kids who are really a handful, or disbaled cant get much off the government.

Open plan offices like that are the work of the devil in my opinion, I hate to think how many lives have been wrecked due to them.

GEMGIRL67

cit_k wrote: »

Open plan offices like that are the work of the devil in my opinion, I hate to think how many lives have been wrecked due to them.

Thank you cit_k for understanding.

mealone

cit_k wrote: »

Open plan offices like that are the work of the devil in my opinion, I hate to think how many lives have been wrecked due to them.

That has to be the biggest pile of crud I have ever read on a forum, working in a normal work place does not wreck lives :rotfl::rotfl::rotfl:

Normal life is just that, normal life, working is a normal part of life and so are open plan work places, just normal for 100's of thousands of people who work there every day, week in, week out except for normal holidays and occasinal normal illnesses/accidents which cause bumps in their attendance records.

amus

My problem is with panic attacks/anxiety disorder being a reason not to work is that I have suffered with them since being a teenager, some weeks they are a 4x daily occurance, yet I still work.

skibadee

The whole 'medical assessment' thing I found was ridiculas, I was diagnosed with cancer 7.5 years ago, under-went surgery, chemo, radiotherapy and hormone therapy....I was also taking Citalopram, Tamazepam and Zolpidem......2 mths after finishing intense treatments I was called for a assessment.....the doctor said '' so its just the cancer thats the problem''!!!.....I was so exhausted from the whole assessment I didn't have the energy to question his comment.
I feel the questions I was asked were not at all relevent to my illness and he had no understanding of the physical and mental/emotional effect of being diagnosed with a life-threatening illness.
I scored 5 points I think.


I'm still on Citalopram, Diazepam and Zolpidem but fortunately am able to work part-time in a job I've been in for 17yrs....I cannot cope with changing jobs or even attending courses related to my job.
I have to take extra medication to be able to attend social events.....I usually try to get out of attending these altogether if possible.....especially if there are people there I do not know.

I suffer from depression, general/social anxiety disorder/ panic attacks/ sleeping problems/ problems with my left arm from a severe lifting injury/ problems with arthritis in my knees/ recurring tendonitis in my right wrist/elbow/shoulder..