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Has the Government made You ill

Topcat71

I saw my doctor today and she put me on anti depression tablets. She said that as a result of my worrying over these proposals to pip the government basically made me unwell.

My doctor told me to not watch my news and keep away from it all. I find this difficult to do. It's like I can't be stop myself checking updates all the time . I know I need to stop this.

How are you is it affecting you the same ways.

Take Care

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Comments

kitsmum

Yes I have become more ill due to the government benefit cuts thing. I already have mental health issues alongside neurological and physical issues. My mental health became so bad earlier in the year that the suicidal ideation ramped up big style. I am getting help but it has also made my other conditions worse due to them all being linked to one another. I am trying to stop doom scrolling on my phone but also need to be informed so that I know how to battle it. Its all a balance isn't it. I have friends who support me and that really helps. I have tried to be proactive rather than just passively waiting because that helps me so I've emailed MP (lots!) signed all the petitions and went to a consultation with our local MP so that she would know exactly what effects the governments plans are having on people. I hope your mental health improves and that you can find someone to talk to / help you with your thoughts. There is always the MIND community group that you can join alongside this to help. You are definitely not alone in this.

johnron

100 ill way it all its not nice @Topcat71 rushed to hospital from job center plus last week wa y all this stress and made point to tell them this

jsjswood

As I'm not on pip because I was told after two pip assessments, that I wasn't disabled enough to get PIP. Even though I have autism which I was born with and osteoarthritis which I have had since the age of 35,so nearly 17 years. I feel like I'm relatively lucky that as I'm not receiving pip, the government can't take away what I don't have.

Girl_No1

Sorry to hear that you're needing antidepressant medication as a result of this debacle.

I'm already on antidepressants, have been for my entire adult life.

Over the past five years, I have been very slowly titrating downward from the maximum dose, and believed I had reached the ideal dosage late last year.

I intend to contact my GP this week to request that I begin titrating upward again as I'm begining to collapse inwardly. I'll be seeking increased dosage despite the real, onerous, and negative side-effects of the drug.

Nothing in my life has changed except this clusterf*ck proposed legislation.

michael57

If you don't do what the doctor advised you will never know no amount of pills will change that

Hopeless

Yes, definitely having a bad effect on me. My GP wrote me a letter of the things she is always telling me so I can have her ‘voice’ to look at home when I’m spiralling in fear. Yesterday, the thought of another year of uncertainty and media and government attacks on disabled people due to this Stephen Timms review thing felt unbearable.

mawempathy

https://forum.scope.org.uk/discussion/comment/1044079#Comment_1044079

I hope you took them to a tribunal for an independent ruling? Autism diagnosis does weigh on a pretty broad spectrum, but the DWP are really bad when it comes to assessing mental health disabilities. They appear to score most applicants with things like autism at zero points until the tribunal with experts get involved.

jsjswood

I was told it wasn't worth going to a tribunal because of not taking any medication for my autism and osteoarthritis. The medication for osteoarthritis is too expensive for me to buy which is ibuprofen gel max strength

Topcat71

What shock me again was last night kier stamer said he wants a full report to who claiming pip and the reasons why. Surely they cant be this useless they didn't even think to find out who the cuts are going to affect. My God what has the people of this country elected. Why is it not possible to have a good leader in this country. They all been poor with one thing or another.

zane

Yes government made me more ill destress over changes all the time I bet this go through they be more changes in next government and it will keep going on until nothing left . People come illegally get benfits maybe should cut them off than hit disabled like me

Amaya_Ringo

The only time in my life that a medical professional has offered to prescribe me anti-depressant medication was during my migration from DLA to PIP in 2017. Because they were not reading my evidence, misrepresenting my assessment, and cherry picking words to support their assumptions, rather than actually assessing my case. I had several instances of autistic burnout, breakdown and inertia, and the whole process cost me time and energy on the academic course I was enrolled in, meaning that I never did get to take the full benefits from it. I remember not sleeping very much and watching television at unfriendly-o-clock because my brain would not shut down.

The tribunal remains the most traumatic thing I've ever been forced to endure. One of the tribunal people was legitimately horrible, which didn't help - even though I won my case, I am still terrified of the DWP letters, even the yearly updates.

The sad thing about this is that if it was a receptive, approachable service, it would be absolutely fine to be migrated or reviewed or checked in with. But when our phone number changed I was absolutely terrified there'd be consequences for reporting it as a change of circumstances, even though obviously it isn't. And the threats for not informing them about those things right away are also very intimidating.

My advocate updated my details for me and everything was fine but still.

The DWP is just not sympathetic :/

mousey

Yes, I was so ill I got sectioned for months when this was announced.

Now I’m having a flare up of 2 physical conditions. My mental health hasn’t fully recovered. I don’t know if it will.

Ross1975

They've added greatly to my depression and anxiety, I've had to request to be on a stronger dosage of antidepressants.

I've been given an appointment with a doctor to discuss this, hopefully he wont mind at the end if I give him a print out of my issues that relate to certain PIP descriptors and ask him to write me a letter that will support this which I can then send off with the PIP form.

Or should I make a seperate appointment for that?

Amberpearl

It's been such a worry

Hard to manage with pip let alone if it's cut

LazyLump

yep. Made/making me ill and had medication thrown at me. Same as you been staying away but because I knew it was up in parliament today I thought I’d check in. We do need to be in the loop for when we are re assessed so I’ll check in when I need to but I was reading everything and couldn’t switch off at all but now I’m reading what I need to then switching off again. Not easy but you can find a happy medium.

LazyLump

@Ranald I Love that response 😂

Music34

@Ranald best peace of advice I’ve read .,,,, made me laugh , I don’t watch the news since lockdown, as made my anxiety go through the roof, have a nice nights sleep everyone