Should I include this on the UC50?

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H4rr13t
H4rr13t Online Community Member Posts: 10 Connected
in Universal Credit (UC)

So I'm filling in the UC50 as I have sadly been out of work for quite some time now, I thought I would be able to manage going back but I can't. My main conditions are ADHD, Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder, Anxiety, Depression and I've been treated for trauma with EMDR therapy.

Due to a further traumatic incident, the NHS practically writing me off for any other treatment for the PMDD and a sudden redundancy, I stupidly fell back into addiction pretty hard. I'm currently in recovery for this and it's going well. Trying to complete the UC50 has shown me I'm no where near ready to get back to work, the stress has had such an impact on my mental health and mindset around recovery. I can hardly get outside as it is anyway, couldn't face contacting someone from CAB to get the help needed with the form, it's already a month late.I couldn't get to a place of work.

I'm wondering if it's worth including that I'm a recovering addict and that going back to work would likely jeopardise this because I can't tolerate the added pressure of socialising and going outside. I could most likely get a letter from a recovery worker stating this.

I'm just worried they'll discredit everything else I have said due to the stigma of addiction. I've always worked, paid my bills never committed a crime, you'd have never known I wasn't sober (not that it matters)

Is it worth including about being a recovering addict or is this likely to go against me?

Thanks in advance

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  • Charlie_Scope
    Charlie_Scope Posts: 261 Scope Online Community Coordinator

    Hello @H4rr13t

    Thank you for being so open.

    I do think it's worth including that you’re in recovery, especially if it’s relevant to your ability to work and manage the demands of a working environment and the impact working may have on you. The UC50 form is about giving a full and honest picture of your current health, both physical and mental, and how it affects your capacity to work. If recovery is an essential part of that, it absolutely deserves to be mentioned. A

    You don’t have to go into deep personal detail about your addiction, just explain in clear terms, perhaps with some examples of how working or being around pressures has previously impacted that.

    Have you spoken to them and let them know the reasons for the form being late?

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