Son has mental health problems doesn’t want benefits

T-G-C

henmuffin wrote: »

Hello, my adult son has mental health problems. He has no income so I support him. He lives with me. I have tried to get him to apply for benefits but he gets angry and won!!!8217;t discuss it. I think he is worried about going for an interview and being made to work. Any advice please? He!!!8217;s 20. Thanks

You need to put your foot down with him. Tell him it's either benefits or out the door. I have complete sympathy with people who suffer from mental health problems, but mollycoddling them from important life events is not the best approach.

If he doesn't suffer from a physical disability, he can receive medication and care for his mental health problem and start the road to living a normal life - there is no mental health problem that can't be properly managed, even the most severe. Sheltering him and accepting his refusal to do the most basic of adult tasks like claiming a benefit is not going to help him.

You can't support him for the rest of your life and if something was to happen to you one day, which I of course hope it doesn't, how will he cope on his own? If he doesn't want to work, I am afraid that is isn't good enough for the government. The NHS will provide and fund all the medication and specialist help he needs for the condition in question (which you haven't specified) but I can't see benefits supporting him indefinitely either. If he ends up on JSA or ESA, they will continue to push him into employment, like every capable adult has to do to earn and keep a living.

20 isn't a bad age to be honest, if he starts sorting everything out now, he could be on the road to a normal adult life by his 21st birthday. I wish you both good luck and success with everything,

poppy10_2

whambam wrote: »

I done it and I can assure you that the person who gave consent had absolutely no understanding of what a power of attorney, the process, their rights.

That's completely illegal