Getting what I deserve

pmlindyloo

jacques_chirac wrote: »

In another post you say your bipolar is controlled by medication. If this is the case, you will not qualify for ESA.

What descriptors do you believe you meet?

From what the OP previously said I suspect it was this one:

• suffers from some specific disease or bodily or mental disablement and by reasons of such disease or disablement, there would be a substantial risk to the mental or physical health of any person if the claimant were found not to have limited capability for work-related activity

jacques_chirac

pmlindyloo wrote: »

From what the OP previously said I suspect it was this one:

• suffers from some specific disease or bodily or mental disablement and by reasons of such disease or disablement, there would be a substantial risk to the mental or physical health of any person if the claimant were found not to have limited capability for work-related activity

For some time this criteria was overused, there was (is) a template letter published by one of the anti-ESA groups for claimants to give to their doctors, asking them to state they qualified for this reason. Due to the overuse (and a changing of the Regs?), this category is now interpreted much more strictly, and takes into account whether the claimant's condition can be managed by medication and other appropriate support.

outlooks

I have bipolar disorder and am currently under the mental health team, my social worker said I'll be fine when they process my ESA claim because I live in 24 hour supported living and have a LD and BPD, Do you think living in supported living shows that I actually need support? I'm waiting to hear back from ESA people about if I need to attend a medical or not, its been 3 months already.

~Chameleon~

It's ok saying "take medication to control symptoms" but even that's not as straight forward as it may seem. It's not like taking a pain killer for a headache and it miraculously goes away. There are a vast number of different psychiatric medications and it can often take many years to find the right combination of drugs to successfully manage bipolar disorder.

There are also considerable compliance issues. Many of these drugs have horrendous side effects that can become intolerable to the point you stop taking medication. And then there are the times when between states, hypomanic or manic that you think you no longer need your meds so stop taking them. Obviously the inevitable crash follows so you're back at square one.

So, unless you have direct experience or have suffered yourself please don't make judgements upon what another may or may not be able to do. Bipolar disorder covers a wide spectrum of variations from the milder form of Cyclothymia which, incidently, is the one Stephen Fry suffers with, to the more extreme manic Bipolar I disorder. No two people will share exactly the same experience and many will also have co-morbid conditions such as drug/alcohol addiction, anxiety disorders and even personality disorders. Some cases of BD are even misdiagnosed personality disorders. One in particular is Borderline Personality Disorder or Emotionally Unstable Personality Disorder as it's often referred to these days. There is also a much higher incidence of suicide with Bipolar Disorder and life expectancy is far lower than someone without a mental illness.

Those who are quick to judge really do have no idea of the impact this serious mental illness has upon a person, as well as their family and friends. Assuming they've actually got any family or friends left to support them due to the destructive nature of this illness.

jacques_chirac

outlooks wrote: »

I have bipolar disorder and am currently under the mental health team, my social worker said I'll be fine when they process my ESA claim because I live in 24 hour supported living and have a LD and BPD, Do you think living in supported living shows that I actually need support? I'm waiting to hear back from ESA people about if I need to attend a medical or not, its been 3 months already.

Living in supported housing will be evidence of a need for support, but in itself it will not be sufficient to pass the WCA - some people in supported housing do work. If your social worker helped you with the forms they would have tailored the answers to the relevant descriptors, so hopefully you will be ok.

pmlindyloo

outlooks wrote: »

I have bipolar disorder and am currently under the mental health team, my social worker said I'll be fine when they process my ESA claim because I live in 24 hour supported living and have a LD and BPD, Do you think living in supported living shows that I actually need support? I'm waiting to hear back from ESA people about if I need to attend a medical or not, its been 3 months already.

It is not about what disabilities that you have but about how they affect your day to day living.

Your social working will probably have completed the ESA claim form highlighting the areas which apply to you.

The descriptors that you have to meet can be found here:

http://pseudo-living.blogspot.co.uk/2012/03/esa-descriptors-and-points.html

jacques_chirac

~Chameleon~ wrote: »

It's ok saying "take medication to control symptoms" but even that's not as straight forward as it may seem. It's not like taking a pain killer for a headache and it miraculously goes away. There are a vast number of different psychiatric medications and it can often take many years to find the right combination of drugs to successfully manage bipolar disorder.

All of which is taken into account by the DM when deciding if a claimant meets the substantial risk descriptor.

It comes across that you take all mental health posts very personally, which cannot be helping your condition. Do you have a support worker who you can talk to?

~Chameleon~

jacques_chirac wrote: »

All of which is taken into account by the DM when deciding if a claimant meets the substantial risk descriptor.

It comes across that you take all mental health posts very personally, which cannot be helping your condition. Do you have a support worker who you can talk to?

Oh how very sweet of you to care

No, I just ensure people don't get away with their continued ignorance and prejudice and will always challenge it wherever I see it.

jacques_chirac

~Chameleon~ wrote: »

Oh how very sweet of you to care

No, I just ensure people don't get away with their continued ignorance and prejudice and will always challenge it wherever I see it.

You do have a tendency to see ignorance and prejudice where there is none - just people with differing experiences and viewpoints. Have you considered that many people on this thread may be talking from personal experience, either as someone with a MH condition or as a friend or carer of someone that does?

~Chameleon~

jacques_chirac wrote: »

You do have a tendency to see ignorance and prejudice where there is none - just people with differing experiences and viewpoints. Have you considered that many people on this thread may be talking from personal experience, either as someone with a MH condition or as a friend or carer of someone that does?

As I said, one person's experience is not absolute. It's an extremely variable condition. Hopefully I've offered people a little more insight into why it's not as easy as saying "take your meds and all will be fine" as many people often like to think. It's called education

The more people are educated, hopefully the less stigma will exist which in turn will encourage people to talk about their condition to others.