What does pain and depression look like?

sleepy1

Many people have had assessments where the reports have said things like does not look like in pain, no depression observed, looks well..........Really!

Jurph

Really!

Mine said I "didn't look tired, anxious or depressed". I'd like to know how I'm meant to look.

susan48

Hi to you both,
mine said the same and I didn’t look under nourished!!!
Seriously!!!! 
How dothey know what a mental health illness looks like when you can’t see it, and how do they know hadn’t lost say 3 stone!! 
Nowhere on the for does it ask for height, weight etc, etc, etc.
It makes me really really mad

ellied2004

I do wonder if there is a set criteria of what they look for. It's hard enough having to live daily with anxity and depression but to be judged by the way you look and have your illness totally dismissed is a total slap in the face 

susan48

@ellied2004,
exactly, we are judged all the time, but they off all people should know better.
I makes you feel even more worthless 

mosy

My husband just had his appeal and lost .They said you don't look confused He has vascular dementia and Alzheimer's he also blind in one eye after a stroke.He also has spine problem What are you sopose to look like when you are in ill health . Taking it further .

ellied2004

@mosy that is shocking, I hope you do take it further, although you shouldn't have to, you don't need the extra stress, so sorry to hear you are going through this x

ash5896

I had my assessment on Monday and was asked why I wasn’t prescribed anti depressants. My reply was my counsellor suggested because I’m on so much pain relief meds it’s not a good idea and secondly two of the meds I’m on are used as anti depressants but prescribed for neurological pain. She didn’t look impressed. If you look up at my earlier post you can read how I was treated which I’m in the process of complaining about. 

Jurph

I had the same response @ash5896. I can't be that bad as I don't take antidepressants. I explained over and over again that I have adverse reactions to them! 

ellied2004

@ash5896 my report also focuses on my anti depressant is a low dose, I have a baby and my doctor wont prescribe higher as I originally refused them altogether because I dont want anything affecting my ability to care for him. I had tried stronger ones but i didn't like them, it seems again we are punished because we dont want to be heavily medicated...we can' win. Let me know how you get on 

ash5896

It’s ridiculous how the disabled, sick and vulnerable are treated. I think it should be the NHS consultants or an independent GP make the decisions or do assessments. I like others don’t understand how someone on a lower position than a consultant can make a decision or prepare report in less than an hour. Not sure how true it is but I have read some are not even qualified 

Nystagmite

I was told I don't look tired either. No, that's why with even 8 hours sleep, I want a nap at 2pm. My assessment was at 9am.

I'd just taken my medication, which as anyone knows, does take some time to kick in.

ash5896

Nystagmite said:

I was told I don't look tired either. No, that's why with even 8 hours sleep, I want a nap at 2pm. My assessment was at 9am.

I'd just taken my medication, which as anyone knows, does take some time to kick in.

Don’t think they understand the effects of medication. I’m on the strongest pain killers possible all controlled drugs and was asked some stupid questions 

sleepy1

I think they have a whole host of stupid questions.........Asking someone with down's syndrome how did they catch it beggars belief.

https://www.rt.com/uk/418773-disability-cuts-pip-payments/

whistles

I do think they have set criteria and unless someone corrects me with proof, certain disabilities/ illnesses get certain points. 
I am reading posts from people with the same conditions as me who scored less, nothing or didn't quite get the standard 8. 
I accept I probably don't qualify, I accept I probably didn't fully understand the forms- but everyone has also misunderstood the forms, unlikely. 

If someone with a diagnosis of dementia and Alzheimer's is ignored, how on earth do I get my short term memory loss across!

Nystagmite

It's supposedly based on how you are. But it seems that unless you meet their definition of disabled, you can't be.

I don't have hearing difficulties according to them. The letter from ENT clearly states it's hypersenstivity to noise (which you obviously can't tell until you take me somewhere loud and I either put my hands over my ears or walk out) and processing of sounds. The latter is more obvious if there's more than one noise.

Waylay

Yeah, he said I didn't look tired - I'd slept 2 hours out of the last 48 due to anxiety.
He said I seemed well-nourished. Actually, I'd lost a lot of weight, as I'd been extremely anxious and very depressed, and when I'm like that I stop eating for days, and don't eat properly for weeks. He asked me how much I'd lost, and I said I didn't know as I don't have a scale (I have a tendency toward tracking my weight far too closely and focusing on it, so I got rid of the scale). I did say that I'd had to make a new hole in my belt, but apparently that wasn't of interest. I weighed myself at my partner's a couple of weeks later, and I was 3.5kg under my usual (I'm skinny as hell anyway). That was despite the fact that my partner had been coming by 3 times a week to make me eat for weeks.

He made a huge deal out of the fact that my MH meds haven't changed in 2 years, but didn't ask me why:.
a) I have refractory Major Depression - 14 MH meds in 24 years, of all the major classes except one, and all of them have stopped working after a while. Venlafaxine has kept working for 8?9? years, although not amazingly well. They added lamotrigine a couple of years ago for mood swings, and that seemed to help a bit.
b) Venlafaxine has a horrendous withdrawal syndrome, and I'm on the max inpatient dose (375mg). It would take months to titrate me down, with nasty side effects, and I'm terrified of what would happen during those months, as they wouldn't be able to give me anything else until I was off of it.
c) Venlafaxine and lamotrigine both have some effects on chronic pain, so it seems silly to go off them.
d) I'm on a lot of prescription and OTC meds. Finding a combo that doesn't cause nasty interactions and still has some useful effects was v. difficult. Unless a new superdrug comes along, my pain consultant, psychiatrist, GP and I think it's best to leave things as they are.
But no, 2 years on the same meds means that I'm stable. I have Borderline PD - the definition of unstable mood! Also, even if I *were* stable, that doesn't mean I'd be *healthy*.

ARGH.

debbiedo49

Same

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shazier

mosy said:

My husband just had his appeal and lost .They said you don't look confused He has vascular dementia and Alzheimer's he also blind in one eye after a stroke.He also has spine problem What are you sopose to look like when you are in ill health . Taking it further .

My dad has Alzheimers and was diognosed 7yrs ago, you wouldnt know just by looking at him, my mum makes sure he is dressed well and he doesnt look confused all the time either, you would need to chat with him to realize he gets confused and is very forgetful, this is disgusting, my dad doesnt have pip, he has attendance allowance, he had his forms filled in for him, im not sure ho it was,, he had no face to face assesment,  i hope you get your husband what he deserves, its disgusting that the most genuine people have to fight for there entitlements. life for people with mental health issues and phyical issue is difficult enouugh without the goverment putting more added stress and anxiety on us. i dont know how they manage to sleep at night. if only they could have the difficuties just for a few months and live the  life that we have to face eaach and every day. i wish you all the best, if this were me i wouldn't mentally be able to cope and  fight these people and they know  allot of people cant. good luck

debbiedo49

Someone should build a campaign about invisible illness and the DWP