No 4 point PIP descriptors results
| Submission ID: 1163730 |
| Date: 2025-04-09 16:45:41 |
| Nickname: Catherine |
| Age: 53 |
| Main health condition: Mental health |
| Main conditions that affect daily living: Work related CPTSD, Adjustment disorder, anxiety panic disorder. |
| Rate of PIP daily living component: Standard |
| 4 point descriptor score: No |
| Possibility to score at least one 4-point daily living descriptor at the next review: I’m really not sure I would as the sssessment is very loaded toward physical disability. Questions such as needing help to feed. Mental health prevents you eating properly as I become overwhelmed with making the food it feels like cognitive overload so I opt for nothing, toast or ready meals which impact on weight. |
| Tasks you struggle with on a day-to-day basis: Anything that represents a cognitive overload. Public places. Connor go to supermarkets but can be overwhelmed trying to complete list for delivery and put it off. Hygiene care becomes an issue when mentally fatigued . Decide to put bath off until tomorrow or clean teeth and then the subsequent day postpone again. Panic attacks arranging trying to get prescription's or drs appointment especially if there are difficulties in getting past the automated facilities. Any automated facility fills me with freed. Collecting the prescription if I arrive and it’s not ready and asked to call back as it takes a considerable amount of mental effort to go. I went to the hairdressers last week for the first time in 8 years and had a meltdown as I hate the experience of feeling like a hostage and unable to leave. Engage in conversation which fatigues me. Cannot go on public transport. Tried to travel by train had a melt down and was escorted off in silver foil blanket. |
| Expected income you will lose if the Green Paper cuts are imposed: I have been ill health pensioned from the police which took 5 years and 3 separate assessments by clinical psychologists.. similar to the PIP assessment you lose all sense of dignity and pride admitting that you are not even managing basic hygiene. If you take support they know too. If you don’t take support it becomes a black mark against you. Financially I would not be able to access private councilling, hypnotherapy treatments, craft courses which may not sound medical but they allow me to have something to fall back on during really difficult times when I’m in a high vigilance state and prevent me from spiralling backwards. I also attend yoga and other relaxation / sleep classes when I’m well enough to colore geingbwithnithers. I am never able to sustain group attendance but use the techniques I’ve learned. I also use home delivery to prevent high states of anxiety of attending supermarkets which I maintained for approx 7 years but are counterproductive. In short I would lose the level of health that I have now and would be in danger of being hospitalised. I use the access to the above to reduce the triggers that set off prolonged periods of 4 to 20 months of deteriorated health. To my mind this is cost effective as the likely cost to NHS is greater in terms of medication, medical appointments and concern that I will become hospitalised which would become significantly more as well as the impact to the limited life I was leading. The illness came as a direct result of traumas experienced if policing and child protection. I did not invite this illness. It has taken my sense of self respect, dignity, capability, cognitive function. I would ask, no plead that the system not punish me / us for bc a condition that only good fortune prevents you from subjected to. |
| Expected problems if you tried moving into work, with support from a work coach: I’m simply not bc able to work. I chastise myself enough for this having worked since 13 yrs of age. Any interactions where I perceive pressure or expectation sends me into a relapse. This impacts my speech, ability to perform basic tasks such as locking the front door as I am not able to sustain a thought in my mind. Even a negative interaction such as a problem with my prescription feeling trapped in a queue, increase in volume, too much visual stimulation sends me into cognitive overload and my response now is to freeze. I forget how to get from location to another, keep the house safe and multiple other functions. It’s not a choice it’s an irrational condition that even when you self soothe and recognise the reality of the situation and provide your own positive self talk, I cannot override the freeze or flight response. |
| Anything else to tell us: The system removes dignity at every stage but the financial assistance allows you to compensate for the extra financial losses I.e not being able to cook leading to the waste in food. The loss of finding your own support services. omitting to go to places that trigger the condition such as shops / supermarkets. Your system is only flawed as those wishing to cheat the system are prepared to lie and it comes easily to them. They learn how to answer your questions and feed back what you want to hear. This will be no different with a new scoring system. The his burden will not be removed from the public purse regardless of the measures you put in place. They will learn your system and counteract it. Those who are genuine have always worked and hit a time in their working lives where they are not able to contribute or be of any value in the work place. Maybe start from a place of where have you worked and what have you done to improve your own circumstances would show where there are genuine people in need. Also remember those that are not as able are living a life that already feels taxed do not take away their life line just to watch them drown. This is meant to assist those that struggle and is not based on being in work or not. The view of disabled is very narrow, help going to the toilet, washing hair. Until preventative costs are also considered and a different approach to assessment is adopted it will never succeed. Ifbyhe costs have risen due to mental health then tackle improving mental health. I could not purchase an appointment with a psychologist as their private waiting list was full. This was outside of the NHS. I would wish to have a brain scan to understand what is damaged and if there is a route to repair. Again I cannot access this. I have tried research studies to see if I could find a way in but again have not been able to locate one. There are too many barriers to returning to health. Until the government fixes these you will have declining health. |
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