Nervous about my consutation

Eyates02

So being 19 and non working, I live off of UC I get LCWRA, my mental health has stopped me being able to do a lot of public things, I struggle with sensory overload, as well as my medication causing me to feel more tired during the day and even worse if I am overwhelmed. I'm currently waiting for a autism diagnosis which is due in march, with this I hope to shape a better future. But my future can't be more stable without a income, luckily I've managed to have a stable living with UC but I've looked into PIP, after doing the first part of telling about myself and giving evidence, I now have a phone consutation due on the 25th October, I'm pretty scared because this will be the one thing that really helps support my possability of finding my own home in the future away from my parents, I would love some tips, and some notes on what to expect and keep written.

If this all goes well this can really mean I can focus a lot more on my therapy, diagnosis, and then look into homes where I can get support with things that're are troubling currently. Thank you.

chiarieds

Hi @Eyates02 - & welcome to the community. Please try not to worry about your PIP assessment (I know, we all do). Hopefully you've kept a copy of your PIP claim form to refer to, but if not, again don't worry. Now something you may not have said, like many, is how you are specifically affected as against the PIP descriptors. You may find this link helpful: https://www.mentalhealthandmoneyadvice.org/en/welfare-benefits/pip-mental-health-guide/help-with-your-pip-claim/how-to-fill-in-the-pip-form/    it's about filling in the PIP claim form with mental health issues, but may be relevant in thinking about how you're going to answer queries.

The most important thing if you didn't give such details in your PIP claim form, is to give a couple of detailed examples in your assessment as to the difficulty you've faced doing/attempting an activity, e.g. what exactly happened, when, why, did anyone see this, how did it leave you feeling afterwards?

Please do come back with any questions, & let us know how you get on. I wish you well.

Eyates02

chiarieds said:

Hi @Eyates02 - & welcome to the community. Please try not to worry about your PIP assessment (I know, we all do). Hopefully you've kept a copy of your PIP claim form to refer to, but if not, again don't worry. Now something you may not have said, like many, is how you are specifically affected as against the PIP descriptors. You may find this link helpful: https://www.mentalhealthandmoneyadvice.org/en/welfare-benefits/pip-mental-health-guide/help-with-your-pip-claim/how-to-fill-in-the-pip-form/    it's about filling in the PIP claim form with mental health issues, but may be relevant in thinking about how you're going to answer queries.

The most important thing if you didn't give such details in your PIP claim form, is to give a couple of detailed examples in your assessment as to the difficulty you've faced doing/attempting an activity, e.g. what exactly happened, when, why, did anyone see this, how did it leave you feeling afterwards?

Please do come back with any questions, & let us know how you get on. I wish you well.

Thank you so much I will for sure use this, I will also use my previous information from my other claim for UC to help, as this also allows me to into depth about what I struggle doing daily etc, this website though will help a bunch! 

poppy123456

If you had an assessment for LCWRA then the PIP assessment is similar but with different criteria of course and a LCWRA award has no relevance on your PIP claim.

You can have someone with you during your assessment but unless you have an appointee then you will need to answer the questions yourself but if you have someone with you they maybe able to prompt you.

Try not to answer any questions with just a yes or no, try to give as much detail as possible as advised by Chiarieds above.

If you don't understand a question they ask then ask them to repeat it.

Make sure your phone is fully charged ready and have a drink near you for easy reach.

The assessment can take anything from 20 minutes to 2 hours.

Once it's complete a report will be written and returned to DWP and a decision can take between 2-12 weeks, sometimes longer.

Eyates02

poppy123456 said:

If you had an assessment for LCWRA then the PIP assessment is similar but with different criteria of course and a LCWRA award has no relevance on your PIP claim.

You can have someone with you during your assessment but unless you have an appointee then you will need to answer the questions yourself but if you have someone with you they maybe able to prompt you.

Try not to answer any questions with just a yes or no, try to give as much detail as possible as advised by Chiarieds above.

If you don't understand a question they ask then ask them to repeat it.

Make sure your phone is fully charged ready and have a drink near you for easy reach.

The assessment can take anything from 20 minutes to 2 hours.

Once it's complete a report will be written and returned to DWP and a decision can take between 2-12 weeks, sometimes longer.

Thank you, you're all super helpful, and making me feel more calm!

iopy123

They believe that I have Autism and I got enhanced for both, if that makes you feel any better. I guess everyone is different though and Autism affects people in different ways.

Eyates02

iopy123 said:

They believe that I have Autism and I got enhanced for both, if that makes you feel any better. I guess everyone is different though and Autism affects people in different ways.

Yeah that really helps, because of how much I am effected with simple things I know I just have to be super open about it, and make sure to say every detail.

Tori_Scope

Best of luck for the assessment @Eyates02  

Eyates02

Did my assesment yesterday, now to wait 8 weeks to hear back. Also opened up to doctors and well I need to help my OCD more during the time I have, so I'm less likely to obesses about the results, thank you all for the positive replies! 

L_Volunteer

Hi @Eyates02, 

Congratulations on making it through the assessment, even though you were feeling worried about the assessment. Such a great achievement. How do you feel the assessment went for you? I am wishing you all the best of luck with your assessment results.

Is your doctor supporting you with managing your OCD? Some resources you may find beneficial include OCD UK (https://www.ocduk.org/), Mind (https://www.mind.org.uk/information-support/types-of-mental-health-problems/obsessive-compulsive-disorder-ocd/useful-contacts/) and OCD Action (https://ocdaction.org.uk/). We are also more than happy to talk to you about how you are feeling. You may find our discussion section about mental health and wellbeing particularly useful which you can find at https://forum.scope.org.uk/categories/mental-health-issues. 

I hope this helps but if there is anything specific we can do to support you, please do not hesitate to reach out to us again! 

Eyates02

L_Volunteer said:

Hi @Eyates02, 

Congratulations on making it through the assessment, even though you were feeling worried about the assessment. Such a great achievement. How do you feel the assessment went for you? I am wishing you all the best of luck with your assessment results.

Is your doctor supporting you with managing your OCD? Some resources you may find beneficial include OCD UK (https://www.ocduk.org/), Mind (https://www.mind.org.uk/information-support/types-of-mental-health-problems/obsessive-compulsive-disorder-ocd/useful-contacts/) and OCD Action (https://ocdaction.org.uk/). We are also more than happy to talk to you about how you are feeling. You may find our discussion section about mental health and wellbeing particularly useful which you can find at https://forum.scope.org.uk/categories/mental-health-issues. 

I hope this helps but if there is anything specific we can do to support you, please do not hesitate to reach out to us again! 

I feel the assesment weny well it's just the waiting which is the hardest part, but I will be sure to reach out if I need to talk to people, this community is such a awesome place full of great people to speak to.

Thank you for the resources these will help alot, especially with years of keeping everything hidden, it's time I use these things to help make daily life easier the best way possible, I will also be sure to check out the discussion section, I always love learning from others, so thank you!

OverlyAnxious

I can vouch for OCDUK being very useful.  

They were doing regular Zoom group sessions for the last year but have just been postponed for a short while unfortunately!  The forum over there is still very active though.  

Eyates02

OverlyAnxious said:

I can vouch for OCDUK being very useful.  

They were doing regular Zoom group sessions for the last year but have just been postponed for a short while unfortunately!  The forum over there is still very active though.  

Thank you!

L_Volunteer

Hi @Eyates02, 

I am glad you feel the assessment went well for you. I absolutely understand that waiting for results is difficult as your brain goes round in circles trying to process it and work out the answers. However, you won't know until you receive your assessment results and there will be support available for you regardless of the outcome to help maximise the outcome. We endeavour to be supportive and friendly and I am really glad to hear you feel we are! Keep making baby steps forwards. You have got this, one day at a time 

L_Volunteer

Hi @OverlyAnxious

Thanks for joining in with the discussion and for sharing your insights! I hope OCD UK begin their Zoom sessions again soon for you