Anxious!

Hi

I am new to this site and need a little bit of advice. I recieved my straightforward phone call from the DWP and now I have my medical questionaire which has actually been sitting on my table for 3 weeks ;it has to be sent back by mid July,but all the physical disabilty questions have thrown me off,there only seems to be a few pages for mental disabilty! My mental health nurse helped me a bit,but I just find it hard to explain my condition (it affects me physically as when I had my last 'episode' as I call it,I couldn't go out of the house for 4 weeks,amongst other things..Could I class this as physical? Of course I can pick things up, for example a phone,but when I am very anxious and my depression is at it's darkest,I don't want to pick up the phone!! Are the questions in the form,to make you slip up??

I was diagnosed with having clinical depression back in 1997 and spent 6months in hospital. I was getting both middle care and mobilty until 2006 where it was lowered to both low care and mobilty. I am currently recieving incapacity benefit. I have been on medication for all of this time,which has been changed twice. Do I need to go to my doctor and get evidence for when I go to see ATOS?..Does everyone have to go? I keep looking at this form and at my wits end on what to write!! Please could someone make things clearer?
Thankyou

Juliette

Hi

I am on incapacity benefit at the moment,but am yet to have the ATOS medical,so it's early stages. My post relates to IB. I was awarded DLA intil 2014,last year,which has been ongoing. I guess I am in the same boat as most people on here,but need a bit of advise on how to fill the form in.I am a little confused with all the physical health problem questions-there only seems to be a few pages for mental health
My nurse has put her name and the adress of the mental health team on the form,but would I need to get something off my doctor? It's all come to quick for me and I am just confused. Thanks

Juliette

best thing is to read the guides on this site, for members and follow the guidance

Hi Juliette,

One of the problems with the current ESA50 form is its inability to allow people with mental health issues to fully and accurately convey their condition.

It is a FACT that your mental condition relates directly to what you can physically do (ask any sports trainer!).

For example, if you can't perform certain tasks in front of other people in the workplace because of a mental health condition, then you sure can't physically do them! And yet you are not awarded points for manual dexterity if there is no underlying physical illness.

I have repeatedly made this point on my ESA50 forms - can I suggest you do the same? It seems ridiculous to me that the form separates physical and mental health. And the reverse is also true - that physical illness can have mental health consequences. Darn it, this ain't rocket science, they need to devise a better form!