Claiming PIP for anxiety OCD and depression

Mental health
1

Hi, hope this is in the right place. 

I am filling in a form to claim PIP for anxiety depression and OCD and after looking at other people’s stories and what has been talked about in the news, I’m really worried.

It all started December 2016 I wouldn’t eat if I had to go out (which I had to daily for work at the time) I would become highly distressed ext. 

Anyway, after struggling to continue working I was signed off work in July 2017 as it just become to much. I had tried to break my own foot with a concrete slab to try and avoid leaving the house and I was cutting the inside of my elbows. I am always anxious, fearing germs and bacteria which is where my OCD comes in, I wash my hands so much that they are constantly cracked and bleeding and I get through a 500ml bottle of soap within a day, day an a half. I find it difficult to leave the house and can’t do it alone as I can’t press traffic light buttons extra and because I get so distressed my eye sight gets so blurry and distorted I can’t see properly. My diet is severely effected and I have a very limited diet as I don’t trust a lot of food. I find it extremely difficult to cope outside my home but in my house I also find it difficult (I have no safe space as I call it where I’m not afraid). If I touch anything I have to wash my hands, I have specific clothes I can wear inside that can’t be worn outside, I can’t sit even in my own home in a place where other people have sat etc. 

I have a mental health nurse and counselling and see my GP regularly and I’m on Citalopram 30g. I am 23 but I have always worked, and mostly within the NHS in GP surgery’s so I’m used to hard work  and long hours, I’m afraid an assessor will see my age and judge me thinking I’m lazy. I really don’t have any quality of life, I haven’t seen any of my friends in over a year because I just find it so difficult to socialise and be around people due to fears of contamination. My concentration is so bad as I’m always worrying I can’t even read which I used to love doing. 

I just wondered if anyone is/has applied for PIPfor these conditions successfully as I’m so afraid I won’t get PIP and I’m not sure I can appeal and go throughout tribunal if I have to. 

Any advice would be appreciated.

2

Jasmine

If you need to appeal, you will have that chance IF you fail the Examination

If you are filling in the form write down all above and make sure you do not miss anything out, Your GP will be contacted and will report on the findings of various Health, Mental Health Departments. If you are also getting copies of your doctors correspondences. Take those with you, You can then refer to those if needed during the examination.

The Examiners were quite hard with Mental Health Patients although several weeks ago the Government had loosened requirements so hopefully you will be given an easier time now. 

All I can say is good luck, let me know how you get on

BOB

3

Hi, thank you for the advice. I have a letter from my mental health nurse that I am sending with my form but as you suggested I may go to my GP and get reports extra from them to help/give to my examiner. 

I have requested a home assessment as I haven’t left my home often in the last year and will only go to the small town centre (20min walk). I am assuming any assessment will be in either Bury St Edmunds or Ipswich which are both much further than I have travelled in the last year and would Alsace to do so by public transport which I find highly distressing. Do you think they will take that into consideration for a home visit?