Hi, my name is john91! Can anyone give me any advice on my PIP assessment?

john91

Hi ime new here I had help to fill out my pip2 form citizens advice I suffer with depression anxiety and trauma/PTSD from sexual abuse from my own uncle as a child I have bad gi issues aswell ime realy stressed I got a text today saying maximus are handling my pip assesment and they will contact me if they need consultation with me can any one gave me eny advice this is my first assessment ever I had some evidence what got sent of with pip2 form doctors letters gastro letters but not much on my past sexual abuse as I find it hard to talk about and very few people know about it i have been working with impact for around 5 years on and off and on waiting list for some counseling I've never discussed it yet not in depth how can I tell it to a stranger especially a stranger who's going to do pip assesment I lost my dad in 2017 to meningitis he was the only one I told and could talk to if needed

Rosie_Scope

Hi @john91, welcome to the community, I hope you're doing okay today. It sounds like you've been through a lot, and it's understandable that you're not feeling comfortable talking to a stranger about everything. I'm really sorry for the loss of your dad too, that must have been really difficult.

There's some information about preparing for an assessment on the Scope website in case you might find it useful:

Preparing for your PIP assessment | Disability charity Scope UK

Lots of people have their assessments over the phone at the moment. They will usually look at your claim and ask a few questions about your conditions. Sometimes they might focus on one area of your claim more than another but that doesn't mean they are discounting things that they haven't asked about, they may just have the information they need already.

If you feel able to speak about how your PTSD/trauma symptoms affect your day-to-day activities, you might not need to specifically talk about what you've been through if you find it too difficult. I can understand that's not always easy either and it's never nice having to talk about traumatic things with a stranger.

Lots of people mention that keeping some clear notes with you at the time of your assessment or a diary of your symptoms can be really helpful.

I hope some of our members might be able to share some tips for the assessment too. Many other members have been through them so I'm sure they'll be happy to lend some advice soon.