Back on the ESA merry-go-round

Face1992

DepressedInsomniac wrote: »

Oh dear, I'm not sure whether to laugh or cry at this! You're trying to compare PMT with a severe mental illness :rotfl:

And as you appear incapable of reading, I'll just remind you that I won't be jumping on a train every morning to attend university. I give up!

I'm trying to compare PMT with severe mental illness?? Are YOU kidding? For three quarters of almost every month I am like a psychotic loon. I get manic, I want to attack people. I get severly depressed. I dont want to go to work. I either sleep for 14 hours straight, or I can't sleep at all. I scream like a raving lunatic.

Your disability is worse than mine is it?

Are you travelling first class by bus then?

PippaGirl_2

DI, I have severe MH difficulties, have a team of support (thankfully at CMHT) and hopefully therapy and medication will help me. But what I have learnt is that the vast majority of people have no clue about MH difficulties, that stupid advert where you are encouraged to 'talk about it' fails to take into consideration people's ignorance and lack of understanding. People will assume that because they have had depression to a degree or know someone that has and they got over it, that everyone can failing to realise that depression in itself has a vast spectrum of severity and symptoms and causes. I don't know how we can tackle ignorance, personally I don't think we can. Best just to accept that people have no clue, be thankful for them that they have never had personal experience of it or they would understand, and walk away. If I were you, I would leave this thread now, justifying yourself is not possible when people do not understand or having any professional or personal knowledge of severe mental illness.

DepressedInsomniac

I'm a happy bunny now! :j

Just got off the phone to the housing finance department and regardless of what happens with ESA my HB will be safe as long as I remain in receipt of DLA at any level

I can now breathe a huge sigh of relief knowing that I'll be able to continue with university (health permitting) even if I lose ESA, although from investigations I've done this morning it seems unlikely that will happen either. It will be a struggle during the summer months as I'll have zero income but I'll face that problem if and when it happens.

Yes, I know some of you may say student loans are meant to last the entire year but not for disabled students or single parents as they are unable to work during the summer months when able bodied students can and this is taken into consideration, hence why ESA/IS/JSA is paid in full to applicable students during summer vacation.

PippaGirl_2

DI, when I was at uni, full time students were not eligible for either ESA/JSA during summer breaks when there was no student funding and so I had nothing to live on except credit cards! They changed the rulings just as started my final year so too late for me. My Uni along with most Uni's campaigned the Goverment to change the rulings. So pleased they succeeded.

Sparklebabey

DepressedInsomniac wrote: »

I'm a happy bunny now! :j

Just got off the phone to the housing finance department and regardless of what happens with ESA my HB will be safe as long as I remain in receipt of DLA at any level

I take it you are aware that DLA is getting abolished? Not sure of the length of your course but it could be that you are called up for an assessment for PIP before the course ends. And I believe the descriptors are far tougher - for both able bodied and non able bodied claimants.

DepressedInsomniac

Sparklebabey wrote: »

I take it you are aware that DLA is getting abolished? Not sure of the length of your course but it could be that you are called up for an assessment for PIP before the course ends. And I believe the descriptors are far tougher - for both able bodied and non able bodied claimants.

Yes, I am thanks. However, it could be some time in the distance before actual changes take place for existing claimants (it took 4yrs to move from IB to ESA) and as nothing is set in stone yet I can't afford to let myself worry about it for now

DepressedInsomniac

Dunroamin wrote: »

As you said that they lived with you, I assumed that they went to a local university and lived at home, which was why I suggested that they pay for their keep. What you actually meant was that they're away at university and come home for the holidays, which is rather different.

I'm afraid that your miscommunication is causing these problems, not my attitude, which has been helpful all the way through.

My final comments to you on this matter...

At no point did I actually state they lived at home full-time, I said it was my family home which it is and will continue to be so until such time they move out and buy homes of their own.

I didn't miscommunicate anything, you made far too many erroneous assumptions and even when I presented the facts you still gave the wrong advice!

Dunroamin wrote:

When someone writes that they are planning to go to university and they live in the family home, most people would expect that the poster was a young person living with their parents, not a middle aged adult with their own children away at university.

And when someone writes that they are in receipt of ESA and HB it's a little strange to assume they are living in the family home, is it not? To my knowledge you cannot claim HB unless you have an actual tenancy agreement in place and this doesn't extend to renting a bedroom from your parents!

You also stated that any ESA due would be replaced by student finance. Again, not true! The Student Support Grant is ignored for benefit purposes and an amount for travel & books etc plus £10 a week is allowed to be kept from the student loan. Most students still receive an amount of ESA on top of their student finance, plus they receive it in full from May to September.

And finally, you stated I would have non dependent deductions made from my HB if I have adult children living at home. Again, not true! As one in receipt of DLA which you were aware of, no deductions are made.

So where exactly were you helpful in this thread? I'm not sure what sort of professional advice you offer in real life but I sure hope you don't make as many errors helping them as you did in this thread.

Face1992

Not much point posting if all one wants is to hear what one wants to hear.

earthbound_misfit

Sparklebabey wrote: »

Lots of people would love the luxury of being able to go to uni and get a job in the field they are interested in and have a 'sorted' life.....but usually these people can't afford to and have to do a 'menial' (charming!) job.

I mean no disrespect to anyone who does a 'menial' job - in fact I have great respect for them! I have always done this kind of work when working and not ill.
I think maybe the phrase "sort their life out" wasn't the best way of explaining it - I didn't mean making their life sorted and everything going perfectly. What I meant was more like being able to manage the day without breaking down/self-harming/being too frightnened to go out/dissociating from reality or any of the other things - and having something to live for and be able to hold on to some kind of job by the skin of their teeth.
For example, someone who is definitely too ill to work may find some comfort or help in having a hobby that they enjoy and put effort into. By the same token, they may find that after recovering a little they can do certain kinds of work, before recovering enough to do any job. In the same way, people without the same problems would find a job they are interested in/uses their skills is easier than one they find boring or demanding in all the wrong ways. For someone "on the brink", as it were, this may be the difference between being able to hold down a job or not.
With longstanding or recurring MH problems (as so many are) they may always struggle with employment, and in the OP's case, training for a job so she can work in a place that fits around MH needs seems pretty sensible. Especially given the current job market and difficulty finding employers willing to hire someone with current or even previous MH problems. Tbh, I think the DWP should be encouraging this sort of thing/their should be a system in place, rather than the short-term "back to work" schemes that make little difference to such people.
(I also think jobs should be paid according to how desirable they are, necessary but crap jobs should be shared out, their should be a higher minimum wage, a maximum wage, a shorter working week.... etc, etc, but won't go too wildly off topic for now!)

Sparklebabey wrote: »

By the OP's own admission, they aren't receiving any treatment for their illness aside from GP involvement.

It is extraordinarily hard to get mental health help - especially now they've cut services. Basically, if you think someone needs mental health support, they usually don't get it; if you think they need to be in hospital, they might just about get support; if you think they need hospital URGENTLY, right now, and are totally loopy/have attempted suicide/run down the high street wearing only a tinfoil hat, they might get hospital for a couple of nights. Mental health services do not help a person recover back to 'normal' life - they just help you recover enough to not quite qualify for their help anymore. They have even been known to drop people from their books if they don't appear to be recovering - doesn't fit with the target-driven culture. It is also down to diagnosis rather than severity, now more than ever. Eg, a friend of mine is very unwell right now, hearing voices, having black outs from reality and 'coming to' in a different location/with self-inflicted injuries. His urgent referral took 3 weeks until an appointment, and as his daignosis is at present "severe depression with psychotic features", so he is considered less in need of help than someone with a primary diagnosis of psychosis.
My own experience is of having the mental health team repeatedly ignore referrals from my doctor (or rather, keep discharging me back ino his care before they've done anything). Their reasoning? - they cannot help me and I need therapy! But how to access it without them? By chance, I was once put through to a psychologist when calling the NHS trust, as the person was so worried about me. Now this psychologist has taken it upon herself to oversee my case and make sure I get therapy. I have just joined the waiting list, after being unwell and on ESA for two years. And I'm one of the lucky ones...

Thank you for taking the time to read my previous post. Please know that I do understand what it is like to be frustrated that others seem to have it easier/have special consideration whilst you're working your socks off. But I have also seen both sides of the story now.

Face1992

OP

Because of the current state of the economy and it not being predicted to be getting better any time soon, will the family business you have pinned your hopes on still be there in 4 years time?