I can't work due to brain stuff that I don't expect to get better

Jsao

Hi,

I had a WCA over the phone a little over 13 months ago and was found to have a limited capacity for work, but I didn't realise I could/should challenge that decision.

  At the time I was only diagnosed with depression and was waiting for an ADHD assessment, which I now have. I am also autistic, but I don't have a formal diagnosis.

  The short version of my life is I had a lot of trouble with social stuff, struggled increasingly in school as I got older, barely got into university, couldn't handle the complexity and was basically a recluse for the last two years until I had a breakdown and had to drop out/move back in with my parents. I thought I was just depressed and the difficulty I'd had from teenage years on was depression brain fog/social anxiety, but after years not being emotionally depressed and still not being able to keep home tidy or pursue any hobbies/interests on my own or make friends, I've reached the point where I'm out of money, overstaying my welcome and becoming less and less functional under stress. I promise, I have tried all I can try, even if I don't have a diagnosis that neatly explains why I am struggling so much. I desperately want to be able to live more independently and not be dependent on my mum after she retires.

  Is it worth it to ask for a new assessment based on a fit note from my adhd diagnoser? I don't think ADHD is the full picture of what I am dealing with, and I'm also worried that someone who got diagnosed as an adult is going to appear to be pretty functional to have made it this far. I don't want an autism diagnosis, but if it's necessary for me to be able to afford to live I guess I can get assessed. I could also ask my GP for help but given he wrote a letter saying he thought I didn't show adhd symptoms, it's a long shot.

if there's anything I have left out or that you want to ask please let me know, and thanks for your time!

Jacob

poppy123456

LCWRA isn't awarded based on any diagnosis. Whether you qualify will depend on whether any of the descriptors apply to you. You can see them here. https://www.benefitsandwork.co.uk/universal-credit-uc/uc-faq/limited-capability-for-work-related-activity

Yes you can report a change of circumstances and then click health condition and report the changes this way. You will need to provide a fit note. You don't need to use the words ADHD on that fit note, anything can be put onto it because a fit note isn't classed as evidence anyway.

I agree that a GP isn't the best person to ask for help with this because a GP won't spend any time with you to know how your conditions affect you anyway. For evidence do you have a ADHD assessment report from when you were diagnosed? If this goes into a fair amount of detail you could send that as evidence when returning the UC50 form. Along with your completed form with all your additional information about how your conditions affect you.

Whether you should report the changes will depend on whether any of the descriptors apply to you.

Jimm_Scope

Hi @Jsao, I've also had to deal with a recent Adult ADHD diagnosis. I would agree with Poppy that when it comes to more complex medical issues like ADHD it's best to get evidence from the assessment/specialist you saw. Especially if the GP rejected your attempts at assessment when they are not trained to diagnose ADHD. As you say, there can be issues with people taking those diagnosed with ADHD as an adult seriously. I certainly got a few questions of "Well you've made it this far, what do you think this will do to help you?", and I can say that it's like night and day now that I've received treatment for it.

I would check out our advice page on  WCA Work Capability Assessment | Disability charity Scope UK

I know what it's like to try and work through this kind of stuff with ADHD, let us know if you have any other questions!

Jsao

Thank you both for the help, this has been really useful and I feel much better for knowing all this. Have a good day!