Experiences of claiming pip on mental health grounds.
Comments
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And everyone else says "Oh, Andy's back, yet again".0
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i suggest that you go and see a real doctor then rather than the imaginary one that you refer to in the posts of your many many alter ego's.benniebert wrote: »Right, so in my medical records - hospital and GP - there should be evidence regarding the effects of a properly diagnosed condition?
Err no don't think so. Since when are hospitals or even a GP even remotely interested and have a need to write a report, about the effects of the condition on my way of life or of the drugs that I have to take?
I have box files of copy records and no where in any of them is there a mention of the effects of what I am suffering from.
There are notes a plenty of medical and surgical issues as well as the daily charts whilst in hospital - but none about how my life has changed and about how I have had to adapt.
Why on earth would they want to write about that?
However if you want a report into those aspects, then the best way is to apply for a self referred care assessment from Social Services. But be warned, they are generally the last people you want to get involved with!!!!!
They have an annoying habit of never leaving you alone - they seem to think they know better than you do on how you should be living your life.
As a quick example. An old friend did just that - all he wanted was a perching stool and a bath lift. He ended up with a bodged up job of creating a half step at his front door, white plastic coated huge handgrips screwed to the walls of every interior and exterior door, a second 15' handrail on the stairs (left unpainted) and a portaloo for downstairs. His home was transformed from a lovely well appointed detached home to something akin to a council run care hostel!
every specialist, counsellor, physio, surgeon, that i have seen has made notes regarding mu symptoms, how they affect me, their prognosis of the condition, notes regarding comments i had made to them during appointments.
i get a copy of letters from every hospital/none gp medical appointment i have. the letter i receive is a copy of the letter which is sent to my gp after every appointment, no matter who that is with. it is standard practice that any nhs appointment you have the dr/specialist etc writes to your gp to advise what was discussed in the appointment, what their opinions are, changes to medications, suggestions for additional referrals that the gp should consider.
these letters are worth their weight in gold and it is absolutely necessary that you request that you receive a copy of every letter.
these letters formed the basis of my last dla renewal. from posting the form to receiving the decision was a total of 9 days such was the quality of the evidence i provided.
you can continue to use your irresponsible scare tactics with people who come onto this forum looking for help which is all you and your various alter ego's seem to do. all it does is make you look stupid.[SIZE=-1]To equate judgement and wisdom with occupation is at best . . . insulting.
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every specialist, counsellor, physio, surgeon, that i have seen has made notes regarding mu symptoms, how they affect me, their prognosis of the condition, notes regarding comments i had made to them during appointments.
i get a copy of letters from every hospital/none gp medical appointment i have. the letter i receive is a copy of the letter which is sent to my gp after every appointment, no matter who that is with. it is standard practice that any nhs appointment you have the dr/specialist etc writes to your gp to advise what was discussed in the appointment, what their opinions are, changes to medications, suggestions for additional referrals that the gp should consider.
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I have no idea what my wife's or my consultants do.
But I can tell you that in all cases they see us to (a) see how we are doing, (b) maybe change medication. Then we are told to come back in x months. At no time has any consultant ever asked how our lives are being affected. I wouldn't expect them to - they are not social workers! And we certainly do not go into any details about how we cope - in fact we very rarely ask any questions - we just want to get out asap after being sat there for hours bored out of our skins.
Neither of us receives anything but appointment letters telling is when to go, the time to be there and where to go.
I have no idea what you are on about receiving these 'letters'.
And to be quite honest, if they are as you say, copy letters sent to the GP - what on earth would I be interested in reading them - that is for my GP to tell me what is happening if I am asked to go in to the surgery.
I do as a matter of course every couple of years get a copy of my medical files from the GP as well as the hospitals that we both visit which cost a fortune. They are then stored in the loft, often unread but kept in case the GP or hospital loses their copies.0 -
Depending on who is involved in the care of a patient with mental health problems, each professional asks the individual how their condition is affecting their day to day living.
They have to ask such questions because they need to ascertain what state of the patients mental health is or has been recently in order to assess whether further intervention is required. This could be as simple as an extra visit by the care coordinator or a slight change in medication.
It's the same as someone with an ongoing physical issue. They need to assess whether the patient requires more physio for instance or more\different pain relief.
The information given to a medical professional is very important when it comes to making a claim for health related benefits. The professional can offer their opinion on how things are\have been for the patient, and whether the problems are going to be having a long term affect, which in turn corroborates what the claimant is saying. Correspondence from any professional involved with a patient carries a lot of weight and can be the difference between a successful or unsuccessful claim.0 -
the_devil_made_me_do_it wrote: »Depending on who is involved in the care of a patient with mental health problems, each professional asks the individual how their condition is affecting their day to day living.
They don't - well not in my case they don't.
I am currently under the Mental Health unit for Older People - Neuro Psychiatry dept and have regular sessions with a therapist.
On no occasion have I been asked to describe how my condition (brain damage) is affecting my day to day living.
We talk about a lot of things and they set me tasks to do.
If I was ever asked that question the answer would be - it is CRAP! They don't ask because they know it must be that way and that there is nothing they can do to change it.0 -
Granted, they may not ask all the time. However it does feature in my experience.
I guess everyone's experiences are going to differ. I mean there's a lot of difference in the quality of care received compared to others. I know people who have\had good experiences and bad experiences when dealing with medical professionals.0 -
Bipolar disorder is very complex as a diagnosis and will impact on people's life in very different ways. I have known quite a few people suffering from it, some are able to lead a normal life coping with the high and lows, whilst others are completely disabled by the condition. Some respond well to medication, others don't. Some recognise the signs of a manic or depressive episode and have learnt to cope with it, with the help of a psychiatrist or on their own.
I would think that DLA should only apply when the illness is not controlled by medication or coping mechanisms so that it has a serious impact on the person leading a 'normal' life.
Becauses it is an illness that can be controlled, DLA should always be reviewed reguarly.
A friend of mine was severely affected in her late 20s, and was very ill with the illness, had to be admitted a few times, attempted suicide, it was terrible. She was diagnosed quickly and put on lithium, unfortunately, it didn't help her at all. She was then claiming ESA and DLA. Then a couple of years later, she was put on resperidole and that totally changed her life apart. Within 6 months, she was back to being her own self, no more mood swings, sleeping well, able to think and make decisions. She went back to work and coped ok. She ended up giving up her job as she went on to marry and have two children (came of the drugs during the pregnancies and still coped very well). She cancelled her DLA claim when she'd been stable for 6 months.0 -
I would think that DLA should only apply when the illness is not controlled by medication or coping mechanisms so that it has a serious impact on the person leading a 'normal' life.
Becauses it is an illness that can be controlled, DLA should always be reviewed reguarly.
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But doesn't that lead towards a possible abuse of the system? How many people when wanting to claim PIP/DLA are actually going to admit that they can cope very well, but know that others in identical situations say that they can't and get an award?
Given my situation, I can cope quite well with the drugs I am on, yet I also know that if I said I couldn't there is no one that could prove or disprove it.
Far too much is left to chance and the 'honesty' of the claimant.
I have been through the high and lows over the years but have never seen it as a passport to getting money. On the other hand having the knowledge of what I am like at my worst, it wouldn't be such a big jump to describe that as the norm now.
In your friends case I am pleased that she was honest with her claim - but it makes me wonder about how many are like that.0 -
Becauses it is an illness that can be controlled, DLA should always be reviewed reguarly.
Which is the case. The length of the award is dictated (talking in general here, not just about mental illness) by things like whether it can be controlled, etc.Sealed pot challenge #232. Gold stars from Sue-UU - :staradmin :staradmin £75.29 banked
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Which is the case. The length of the award is dictated (talking in general here, not just about mental illness) by things like whether it can be controlled, etc.
So there have been no 'indefinite' DLA awards given when it should have been obvious that there was a possibility in the future that an improvement may happen beit by way of new drugs or surgery?
Which begs the question, what was the criteria for giving an 'indefinite' award?0
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