How to prove mental health affects your life when first claiming PIP

lisathomas50

Hi I am asking the question as I am assisting someone in my community 

I want to help this person the best way I can as a physical disability is different 

When filling in the form  I know how to describe the affects of this person's mental health but need the best way of describing how it affects this person going out planning a journey and things like that please 

I am probably over thinking it and is probably similar to describing how a physical disability affects someone 

lisathomas50

That suposed to say pip 

woodbine

I think the solution might be not to over thinking it. You need to highlight the care and/or mobility issues the person has regardless of the problems they have i.e physical or mental health. link might help
https://www.mentalhealthandmoneyadvice.org/wal/welfare-benefits/pip-mental-health-guide/introduction-to-pip/can-i-claim-pip-for-mental-health/

lisathomas50

@woodbine thank you  thats fantastic  I was over thinking  it doesn't matter if its physical or mental health 

Thank you so much  that has realy helped 😊

lisathomas50

@woodbine form done your advice was a tremendous  help  and it was quite easy once I stopped over thinking  

It was electronic  I learnt how to use zoom on the laptop so I can split the screen they can see me and see the form I am filling in  all went well 

Again thank you 😊

Ross_Scope

I have changed the thread title for you @lisathomas50, it says PIP now  

lisathomas50

@Ross_Scope thank you

cupcake88

@lisathomas50

Hi I get pip purely for mental illness I have no physical disabilities just all mental illnesss . Of course every ones illnesses are  different and how my mental illness affects  my life might affect your Friend differently . But I can share my experiences as some one with mental illness who gets pips . When I filled out my pip form I was really ill I was in crisis at that time I did get help filling the form out . 

So for example say the getting ready and washing question for example . I struggle to get washed and dressed with out assistance and I need constantly reminding embarrassing to say my partner has to wash me most of the time and constantly encourage me to change my clothes again as it embarrasses me to say when I’m having a really bad few weeks hearing voices and seeing things I don’t think to get dressed or washed it’s not that I can’t physically do it my mental illness takes over and I’m just really distressed by what I’m seeing or hearing or my paranoid thoughts hope that example helps . 

Another example when it comes to preparing and cooking food my partner leaves me out a sandwich /or some buffet snacks foods when he’s goes to work or he makes me a salad and he will have to remind me to eat it Or I’ll just eat sweets . I won’t touch a oven As I’m scared to turn one on as I get so many paranoid thoughts rushing threw my head so I just explained every thing how I’m explaining it now to how each section effects me I would explain it and my partner wrote down what I was saying on the forms . My anxiety my ocd my ptsd And my pychosis stops me from completing every day normal tasks . I haven’t brushed my hair in like a month it’s gone all tangled again I won’t even let my partner brush it . It’s embarrassing for me to say but I hope it helps others with mental illness who are filling out pip forms or people with mental illness in general . I would advise your friend to get some to write down how each question relates to her/his life I have given a few examples based on my life hope that helps .

also I sent off care plans from the crisis team they had care plans that documented how my illness affects me . 

Also my partner took time to write how my mental illnesses effects my day to day living using all the pip discriptors . I think if you have some one who knows you well write bout how your disability effects you I think that helps also to send off .  I hope this all helps . 

lisathomas50

@cupcake88 thank you that helps alot 

mikehughescq

There is a myth that the PIP 2 form is better designed for physical impairment. This isn’t really true. In both instances the key question is no more complex than can person x do activity y reliably and, if not, why not? 2 examples of real world examples per activity will do the trick. 

The other myth is that mental ill health is an invisible impairment. This is simply not true. The issue is to recognise that what looks like a specifically type of personality or behaviour or reaction is in fact a manifestation of a specific condition.