Pip Tribunal advice would be very much appreciated.

misurrepeanut

Hello there, 

I won't give out my personal details but I am a young man with ADHD. This has led me to some very dark places like out on the streets or in A and E contemplating killing myself. I've had consistent appointments with my GP service, which has allowed me to see about 10 different doctors. They have tried me on sertaline, mirtazapine, imipramine, paroxetine with little to no success. I attempted sertaline the longest which really ended up with me in suicidal ways both times I tried to get over the 12th day period. I've had contact with the community crisis team who established a care plan and I get support from Gamblers Anoynmous. Also included in my treatment plan is the Adult Neurodevelopmental Service who prescribe me medication for ADHD. I have taken both sets of medication and ended up hyperfocusing and having really unhelpful side effects like depression and anxiety. My anxiety and OCD is all documented with my doctor but I've never been able to see a non ADHD Therapist. They have lots of information about our appointments but have written to them with no response. I've also provided alot of information on the condition via post to the DWP Tribunal Centre. This is just hand written notes, medication prescriptions, crisis brief reports and letters detailing the notes from different ADHD meetings. What I think I need is a good descriptive letter that outlines my condition in relation to the descriptors. 

That's all the information on my ADHD but I haven't detailed my mental health problems like social anxiety or depression as major conditions in my DWP Questionairre. I am currently recieving CBT Therapy from a local counselling service and the therapist has gone through a social anxiety questionairre and given me the maximum points for it. I have been to the doctor and explained what was said by the CBT Therapist but he didn't  seem to want to diagnosis me as I'd already had an ADHD diagnosis. Baring in mind this doctor I spoke to was a new one who I'd not seen before. 

My first appointment back in 2019 with Capita stated that I was entitled to absolutely 0 points. This led to me appealing it with the mandatory consideration providing me with 5 instead of 0. So now I'm hoping that with my appeal that I can win and get over 8 points for Daily Living.  I am looking to be more specific when the tribunal comes and to concentrate on the descriptors. I am getting DSA for Open University as I struggling to cope with the work load and have been assigned a learning and general well being mentor who I have not yet seen due to the corona pandemic. 

I'm starting to think that I have cognitive impairment as I don't understand social queues and when people talk to me I don't look them in the eye. It's like I can't picture something in my head without seeing it. This leads to problems as I get massive social anxiety thinking about what the person is going to say next. This is a problem as I avoid most social activities, fear criticism, have low self esteem and feel sick when asked to speak infront of people. I definetely have a problem with obsessing over food and which part of the meal will start off my ADHD symptoms and leave me a complete wreck for the rest of the working shift. My mind almost always just empties and leaves me feeling stupid . I blink, twitch, have a blank face look gormless. I avoid managers, don't go near public transport and prepare for meetings with managers. I talk faster than usual and get palpitations and sweating. My social anxiety stops me from doing things that I enjoy like football. This gets in the way of me socialising with others. 


I'm sluggish and slow moving, I have problems with focus and due to not being able to concentrate just get more and more worked up and upset, when I realise I've been watching ADHD videos and just researching my own brain for the whole night this leads to fustration. Argumentative behaviour when I don't get my own way and when someone says something hurtful about me. I have dark thoughts like hating people in my life and wanting people to just live their own lives instead of getting involved in mine and swearing and saying bad things about them behind their back. All the time my mind wanders wanderers and I have constantly leg tapping and tidying to ease my anxiousness and this leads to nonsensical behaviour like screaming, whacking my hand into my head, jumping up and down, cursing and shouting at people who are not helpful and make me feel frightened, I have a massive over response to people who cross me and once they've hurt me I will never let it go and hold onto the bad feeling for the rest of my friendship or relationship with them. I have low energy, worthlessness and sensitive to noise, light, touch and I have cyclic moodiness and over sleeping problems like hypersomnia. I have memory and auditory processing issues and can't understand complex issues such as maths, directions, complex situations, my brain lets me down and I can't work them out.  I get very fustrated at not getting the context of something and it really upsets me how I can't emphasize sometimes and it upsets my general health too and makes me have lots of stress. I am overstimulated and the smallest thing can make me anxious and unable to function. Its like my front part isn't working properly with the rest of my brain, I'm constantly in a fog and the thought of doing something makes me so upset and I need prompting. I am ok with  putting things in piles and neat and tidy but its too try and rid my mind of the anxiousness. Cleaning is often unfinished like most jobs in my life.

Thanks,
               Missurepeanut

Moaning

Welcome to the community 

skullcap

Username_removed said:

So, and forgive the simplification. You have mental health issues and 5 points on daily living. Are you able to tell us what the 5 points are for and whether you scored the obvious points on, for example, social engagement. 

Is that the case?
That the obvious points available for someone with mental health would be social engagement?
If that is the case I and a few others that I know (we have all been through the 'service' and secured units together in the past) have not been awarded any points under that descriptor. Personally I could not see how it would be reflective in those general terms.

misurrepeanut

Managing Therapy and Engaging with other were what the points were for. They didn't give me any for communicating verbally. This was because I had help from an outside organisation and because I need help to be able to communicate with other people effectively