Pip engaging with others question

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knucklehead

I have been in receipt of Pip for a few years and I am due a telephone assessment in a few days. I have had several health issues for a very long time including mixing/engaging with other people. I was originally only awarded 2 points for this activity but it should be far higher but I was afraid to challenge the decision at the time in case I lost the Daily living award altogether. If I have to go to a doctors appointment for example it causes me overwhelming distress sitting around other people in the waiting room being stared at and i will have an internal meltdown and start having panic attack palpitations, going bright red etc to the point when i will have to get up and leave or end up having a confrontation with other people in the waiting room. I have no friends or family to accompany me so i have to attend these appointments alone so my question is how do i explain this to the assessor? As soon as they hear I go on my own they will immediately say that I’m fine and don’t need anyone to accompany me and don’t need social support etc. I’ve been reading that they will start with the trick questions Could you get a taxi on your own etc etc to try to cheat me out of scoring the points, I feel I should be awarded 8 points for this activity. I have had numerous counselling sessions with different mental health professionals over the last 25+ years but the most recent one came to a stop around 10 months ago with no more sessions offered so I don’t currently have a health care professional supporting me. I’m not very good with putting my problems into words so I’m afraid whatever I say I will not be taken seriously. Every time I have had to apply for a disability benefit I have had to appeal and appeal again and I just haven’t got the mental energy for it so I’d be grateful of any advice. Thanks

Jimm_Alumni

Hey @knucklehead, this is a pretty common one that is quite difficult to get across to assessors and decision makers. Because they can go "well you did it, so you must be fine", but that isn't all they're supposed to take into account.

You can talk about the distress it causes, the panic attacks. They are supposed to take that into account even IF you do the task. You can also talk about how it leaves you drained for the rest of the day, as I imagine anyone undergoing panic attacks would feel afterwards. That means that the rest of your entire day is affected, which would not be the same for someone who was not affected this way.

These are the kinds of things you should be saying, it's best done when you have a real life example to give them. For example, how did you feel the last time you went to a GP appointment? Were there other things you wanted to do that day that you were then unable to do because of the GP appointment? How long did you have to take to go to the GP appointment, including having to prepare/prep yourself to cope with the stress and panic attacks.

These are all things that will help with this criteria! I hope this helps explain a little about what to say. If they try to rush you through or just demand a "yes or no" answer, don't settle! How are they supposed to properly assess you if they don't let you answer?

Let me know if you have any other questions about this, I'll try to answer as best I can. The assessment and the whole process isn't easy, but hopefully we can get you there.