PIP was 2nd claim with new conditions but from 15 April 2025 new 3rd claim as advised.

Muttleythefrog

Agree with Spoonie's above analysis. I think when you're explaining your restrictions you're tying yourself up in knots trying to sound more disabled than you are. For example... at no point have I seen you say anything suggesting you cannot drive the majority of the time (even when you seem to be trying to correct a misunderstanding based on something you said in assessment) .... choosing not to do so for 6 months of a year is irrelevant... it's a theoretical test. Driving as Spoonie says... don't get hung up on it.. it's an activity that may shed light on (dis)abilities that relate to assessed activities.. just like supermarket shops. Again with supermarket shop you're trying to impose your ideas on definitions to make it seem like you're more disabled than you are... one would have to ask the question if during a supermarket shop do you choose to stop to read the ingredients on a tin or do you stop because you are disabled by some condition. PIP looks at what you cannot do... not what you habitually don't do... although what you habitually do or don't do could offer inference on what you can or can't do. 

I'm looking at your claimed physical problems and I'm not seeing much to hang points on for PIP. OCD is a different animal and one you're exploring with medical professionals I understand... which is why I keep coming back to you evaluating whether you should qualify for PIP and if so what strategy comes next which I think may have to be a new claim when OCD and any other related mental illness is documented... in seeking help you may better understand how you are affected and of course potentially get some medical or other input to help you manage or treat such a condition.

I hmm.. sort of agree with some of what Cressida says above... I would say if you have OCD most would recognise a serious issue (but not necessarily as we've discussed and Spoonie points to) or if not that anyone you spend notable amounts of time with probably would do and would pass comment. But I'm also conscious people with MI can be good at hiding it... by for example performing their ritualistic behaviours out of sight as much as possible. Remember OCD is about irrational responses to anxiety...repeated behaviours (rituals) that seek to alleviate that anxiety but that ultimately simply enforce that circle of needing to seek reassurance to deal with a perceived wrong, unknown or danger etc.... the end result is disablement... it takes time and effort to engage checking type responses that can make performing tasks traumatising, embarrassing, enduring (hence often reliability of timely task performance an issue or indeed ability to repeat as necessary) and potentially damaging (repeated checking or washing can cause injury or damage to equipment).... and in serious form may lead to violence and confrontation where one's rituals to try to reduce anxiety are interfered with or indeed thoughts may arise that people are deliberately trying to create disordered states (like leaving taps dripping or carelessly leaving lights on) to trigger OCD related anxiety and rituals. As I recently joked elsewhere... if you want to disable me don't bring a gun as someone tried that twice and it didn't work... bring a broken rubber washer for a tap and a Philips screwdriver

 I tried to kill an assessor (and probably would have done so without my wife preventing so) because of OCD....eventually my coping skills (which involved things like focussing on the ground not her) and preparations (such as rehearsal of responses and answers, simulation of events) will fail... it can be a severely damaging disorder and it is rather unfortunate that in popular culture it often is referenced in a stereotypical and flippant way. Sadly some assessors have little more than such an understanding - I'm conscious one assessor seemed obsessed with the idea I didn't have much issue with dirt... well... OCD doesn't necessarily manifest as a need for cleanliness... any more than physical injury will always manifest in a broken limb. My earliest memories of OCD looking back were of trying to avoid cracks in pavement... as a result I ended up being a very fast walker because I needed larger strides as a young boy to achieve this without irregular walking... today over 40 years on people remark on my rapid walking and it has even affected my marriage as we've never truly been able to walk together... strange, perhaps sad, but true. For what it is worth when you first mentioned OCD the other day I checked vast numbers of your posts as I would expect there to be evidence of OCD related thinking or behaviours casually referenced.... there was not much but what did stand out from memory to me was your behaviour regarding utility meter checking which does imply anxiety driven checking behaviour and importantly was not in posting relating to benefits or disabilities suggesting it was authentic and undirected description.

Dazza1902

DWP have said no (again). Time to move on.

marcia_

Dazza1902 said:

DWP have said no (again). Time to move on.

 I agree. No use coming up with new conditions or symptoms because they will check previous applications which are on file and judge the new application on them also. Not every disability meets the very strict criteria for PIP. Time to give up. 

teaselMay

Agree you need to move on.

If you completed the forms accurately you will have already documented any effect of any of condition on your ability to do things.

peteuk

tifo said:. 

The assessor asked and my reply was about 12 times a year and 3 days for severe, 4 days for moderate and it goes down to mild and goes away in 2 weeks. But i don't always get severe or moderate and many times it's mild which affects me for several days and this is how it's been over the year. So it wasn't 12 times a year severe but 12 episodes on average with a mixture of severe, moderate and mild. If that makes sense. 

So here’s what the assessor will see.  Gout - first line medication with additional analgesia for severe episodes.  With our without  a PPI.  (Will then look at the supporting evidence, consultant letters, etc)

Severe 36 days, moderate 48 days, mild not calculated but effect of 12 episodes totals 24 weeks.  Therefore not an issue and well controlled 28 weeks so not an issue the majority of the time.  Given that you drive  shows you have good strength and range of movement in your ankles ect… If your gout and arthritis is controlled by the two meds and there is no referral to rheumatology or orthopaedics.  Then at present your severe episodes are not severe or as frequent to warrant a referral.

Therefore what ever you say about any of the activities - your gout does not affect you the majority of the time. Eg my gout stops me from getting in and out of the bath.  Which it may do 24 of 52 weeks so not the majority of the time so therefore zero points.

Your are, emotional attached to it and so will see it as effecting your life, but what id point out is as above the plain, hard facts, which is at present you dont hit the high threshold for PIP.  A zero score in an activity does mean it doesn’t affect you, doesnt mean your lying it means that for that activity you are able to carry it out without difficulties for the majority of the time. 

A would suggest waiting a few years before reapplying and I would not be surprised if the decision is upheld at MR and tribunal. Youve every right to take it further, but I would seriously think about the cost physically and mentally.  If you do I would sit down and list the conditions one by one and work out the time theses affect you.   Then focus on each activity, laser focus is required.

tifo

Muttleythefrog said:

For what it is worth when you first mentioned OCD the other day I checked vast numbers of your posts as I would expect there to be evidence of OCD related thinking or behaviours casually referenced.... there was not much but what did stand out from memory to me was your behaviour regarding utility meter checking which does imply anxiety driven checking behaviour and importantly was not in posting relating to benefits or disabilities suggesting it was authentic and undirected description.

I'm surprised you've found this from my british gas issues and thanks for looking.

tifo

teaselMay said:

If you completed the forms accurately you will have already documented any effect of any of condition on your ability to do things.

Now i know I didn't  ..... but i did try and respond to the assessment questions accurately.

I'll go through my form and check questions and answers compared to what the assessment report says, but i do know that i said 'No' to Q6 'Washing and Bathing' but i am affected in response to the questions asked at the assessment so should have ticked 'Yes' and wrote what i said. When i was completing it i just didn't equate the problems i sometimes have with washing my lower limbs with the question, though i did answer it as such in the assessment and the decision has referred to the problems i mentioned. The form refers to 'getting in and out of the bath or shower' and 'using the bath or shower' so in my mind I said no issues with those.

I think i get brain fog when completing long forms under pressure to get them right. I get anxious and nervous and worked up. I seem to be getting confused easily. This is not to throw in more issues into this thread, these are all to do with the anxiety and depression i suffer from including OCD which also gets me worked up at home and outside and i've been like this for many years. I have memory recall issues too and have been to my GP about it, who did tests like say numbers backwards or repeat addresses etc and said "you're fine". An example i gave him was that a young man i've known all my life (family friends) came to drop something off and for the life of me i couldn't remember his name! When asked by family who it was i could not remember his name at all. It came to me some days later. Even yesterday i saw a friend around 1pm and he we spoke about a few things. I later messaged him saying "haven't seen you for some days how are you" and he replied "you've no slept, you saw me earlier today and we spoke about [the things]. I couldn't remember for some minutes then it came to me. For this one i can post a screenshot of my messages with him?

tifo

All these issues are not normal for me, i used to fill complicated forms including legal documents many years ago just from memory and throw out all sorts of rules and law (in my job as a solicitor for some years when i got bored with IT). I was (and still am i think) a highly skilled IT engineer and programmer, having done this work all my life.

born_again

tifo said:

teaselMay said:

If you completed the forms accurately you will have already documented any effect of any of condition on your ability to do things.

Now i know I didn't  ..... but i did try and respond to the assessment questions accurately.

I'll go through my form and check questions and answers compared to what the assessment report says, but i do know that i said 'No' to Q6 'Washing and Bathing' but i am affected in response to the questions asked at the assessment so should have ticked 'Yes' and wrote what i said. When i was completing it i just didn't equate the problems i sometimes have with washing my lower limbs with the question, though i did answer it as such in the assessment and the decision has referred to the problems i mentioned. The form refers to 'getting in and out of the bath or shower' and 'using the bath or shower' so in my mind I said no issues with those.

I think i get brain fog when completing long forms under pressure to get them right. I get anxious and nervous and worked up. I seem to be getting confused easily. This is not to throw in more issues into this thread, these are all to do with the anxiety and depression i suffer from including OCD which also gets me worked up at home and outside and i've been like this for many years. I have memory recall issues too and have been to my GP about it, who did tests like say numbers backwards or repeat addresses etc and said "you're fine". An example i gave him was that a young man i've known all my life (family friends) came to drop something off and for the life of me i couldn't remember his name! When asked by family who it was i could not remember his name at all. It came to me some days later. Even yesterday i saw a friend around 1pm and he we spoke about a few things. I later messaged him saying "haven't seen you for some days how are you" and he replied "you've no slept, you saw me earlier today and we spoke about [the things]. I couldn't remember for some minutes then it came to me. For this one i can post a screenshot of my messages with him?

Hate to say this but.. "I Think" I get brain fog?
Either you do or you don't.
Again this leads to questions on what you are saying, which is a common theme ? (Not a attack on you here)

There is no rush to complete the PIP form, you can ask for more time. With the Mrs reconsideration I took 2 weeks to answer all the question. I answered them, left them & kept going back to refine the answers (which is why using a computer is a good idea, as it allows for corrections) This allows for better wording of your answers. Rather than the 1st draft.

WabbitWabbit

You are starting to bring in different things as l can’t see any mention of anxiety or depression until today.
Have you had a diagnosis?
I am sure your GP would have picked up your OCD during your other appointments, especially as a doctors surgery is full of germs.
Your OA, have you had a referral?
So many have tried to help you, taking time, especially those that have written so much.
You are still no further on.
What do you want from this forum, someone to tell you that you qualify for PIP?