Just had my Assessment for PTSD

Markh1982

Hi, i am just wondering if there is anyway of gauging how an appointment went? My Mobility is ok i dont need help washing dressing etc. However my issues come from Socialising, not preparing my own food, Nightmares etc. My personal hygiene has deteriorated but i dont need help with it. Im worrying now i havent given enough to be able to claim anything which is causing me stress already. Any help would be appreciated. 

Tori_Scope

It can be difficult to gauge how it might have gone at this stage @Markh1982. I know it's easier said than done, but try not to worry about it too much until your decision letter arrives.

Did you manage to mention the information and evidence that you wanted to get across? 

Markh1982

Yes, I wrote everything down as my memory has gone terrible, its just the questions i was asked seemed to be around mobility

poppy123456

The mobility part can apply to those that suffer with mental health, not just those with physical conditions. For mental health then it would be following and planning a journal that they would look at.

There's also other activities that may apply to those the suffer with mental health.. for example, washing/bathing, dressing/undressing, engaging with others, communicating verbally, preparing food and budgeting.

Once a decisions been made you will be sent the decision letter but this can take between 2-12 weeks.

Markh1982

I said my personal hygiene has detoriated, if i need to prepare my own food i tend to go with out food, i dont have a social life anymore, i think people are talking about me when they see me now to where i was 2 years ago. I even struggle with family days out, when we get somewhere i just want to go home. This was all mentioned in my assessment

Tori_Scope

They might just have wanted to find out a bit more about how you manage with your mobility in relation to the descriptors @Markh1982. Different people get asked different things during their assessments, so I don't think it's something to worry about too much  

Is there anything you can do that usually helps to reduce your anxiety levels? 

Markh1982

Ahhh ok thats ok then, no not really I take my meds but thats all i really have 

Tori_Scope

Could you perhaps try a relaxing activity, such as listening to music, doing some art, completing a puzzle, or getting some fresh air @Markh1982? 

Markh1982

Yes i do enjoy doing the garden maybe i can do that more

Tori_Scope

That sounds good to me @Markh1982 We have some fellow keen gardeners on the community, so I'm sure they'd be willing to offer up some tips!

Markh1982

Any tips would be great im not the best!

L_Volunteer

Unfortunately, I'm certainly not one of those @Markh1982. However, hopefully someone will see your thread soon who will be able to provide you with some tips 

Tori_Scope

I seem to remember that perhaps @SueHeath and @Teddybear12 may be keen gardeners? I'm sure there are others, too  

SueHeath

Morning @Markh1982 how are you today - hope the weather as been kind to you and your garden 

forsbrook

hi markh, .. i am in a similair position to you with regard to your mental health and abilities, i suffer terribly at times with social anxiety, the thing that stood out from your first post was that as soon as you went somewhere you wanted to go back...i thought i was alone with this problem. for example, i never go on coach trips because i feel trapped and cant just go home. i dont miss out though, i have coping mechanisms such as being with trusted friends or going on my own and doing my own thing. no one is looking at you, not in a bad way. when you are well they will all still be there, it just wont bother you.
at my worst, i cant cook or organise meals, cant take a shower, make decisions or socialize, but at my best i can live and do all those things with ease, a top tip is to always give  "at your worst" responses to any forms or questions you are asked, no matter how you feel at the time.
have you been to the doctor about nightmares? i started suffering about 3 months ago and the doctor has highlghted a few possible causes, starting with sertraline, i have reduced my dose, hopefully this will help but i feel it is ptsd related.
a great tip is... no matter how small a problem may appear, if its important to you, its important!

Markh1982

I’m a fairly I’m fairly new to this gardening I’ve managed to get my grass to grow back in my back garden and more cleaning and de weeding at the moment, I grew some potatoes last year that’s about the extent of my knowledge so far I’m afraid

Markh1982

thank you for the insight forsbrook what you have mentioned there is exactly how I feel and I do feel like people are constantly talking about my detoriating which I feel has been quite rapid, I’m just worried I didn’t give enough to get accepted for PIP

SueHeath

Hi @Markh1982 looking after grass is good Mark any time you want to progress just ask - but to be fair i don't think many of us would be in the garden today in this heat 
Have you any pets ? 

nasturtium

Some good advice by Forsbrook but he said this:-

"a top tip is to always give  "at your worst" responses to any forms or questions you are asked, no matter how you feel at the time."

This is one of the worst things you could do because you are not giving a truthfull and accurate picture of you health condition and you could be breaking the law and suffer serious consequences. If you condition changes or varies then say so because it will make any claim look credible and you will not be breaking the law.

Now for Gardening. I have grown up doing gardening from a very young age (6 years old) I used to grow radish and lettuce and flowers like nasturtiums (hence my scope username) All of those plants are edible. If you are new to gardening then my advice is just have a go and enjoy what you are doing. You will make loads of mistakes but that is the way you learn. If something does not work then find out why it did not work and you will learn then how to make it work the next time you try.

Also Gardening does not need to be expensive. You can grow loads of things from seeds that can just be scatered onto the soil and left to grow. (you will need to keep them watered if they are dry with a watering can). Seeds like Calendula (Pot Marigold), Nigella (Love in the mist), Nasturtiums, Eschscholzia (Californian Poppies), Cornflowers, Lavateras (annual type), Malvas, Sunflowers, Cosmos are just a few seeds you can buy now and scatter in your garden and if you keep them watered you might have a show of flowers late September to the first frosts.

If you want to grow Veg then you can sow now Carrot seeds, beetroot seeds, french and runner bean seeds for a later september crop, spring onions, lettuce seeds, radish seeds and courgette seeds. These will give yo a crop in a few months.

Another bit of advice is to plan ahead. If you plan what you are going to do in the Autumn of the previous season then you can buy your things over the winter period which is normally cheaper than buying during the start or peak gardening season if you intend to purchase online.

Above all if you want to start gardening you must remember the key thing and that is to enjoy doing it. All of the flowers I have listed above slugs and snails are not fond of so you can have ago at them and the slugs and snails should stay off them. I do not like killing animals so I only grow flowers that slugs and snails will not eat meaning that the slugs and snails can do what they want in our garden and we can both live together in harmony. Dont fight nature work with it

I hope that has been of some assistance.

Nasturtium

forsbrook

Markh1982 said:

thank you for the insight forsbrook what you have mentioned there is exactly how I feel and I do feel like people are constantly talking about my detoriating which I feel has been quite rapid, I’m just worried I didn’t give enough to get accepted for PIP

hi again, im with you all the way with regard to anxiety about pip, ive been waiting 30 weeks now for an answer and have learnt that its pointless worrying, youve filled in the forms, given your answers and that cannot be changed. what will be , will be. i know very well that its difficult, perhaps in the meantime do lots of research so you know more and more about all benefits and ways to proceed, thats what i do, but i was very fortunate to be in a mental health ward when i started my pip journey and recieved alot of professional advice and reassurance.
it was a dedicated mental health benefits expert who advised me to always respond with "at worst" responses as any assessors will know very well that depression, anxiety, ptsd etc will come and go. if you met me today, you would wonder what is wrong with me.... three weeks ago i couldnt leave the house, needed help to go to the doctors and nearly broke my nose diving out of bed during a nightmare. be honest but dont sell yourself short or think you are a fake, your suffering is real and anyone who cant or wont understand has no place being in your life.
let them talk..its there problem, there ignorance... dont be ashamed of mental illness, the bigots will soon come running to you for advice if , for example, one of there family begins to suffer.
i hope you are getting all the help you can. starting with your doctor, there is alot of help out there..alot.
i was amazed. proper health, financial, supportive professionals have only one objective, to help you.
its a minefield but the more you learn, the easier it will become and will help give you a purpose, if thats the right word.

poppy123456

forsbrook said:

Markh1982 said:

thank you for the insight forsbrook what you have mentioned there is exactly how I feel and I do feel like people are constantly talking about my detoriating which I feel has been quite rapid, I’m just worried I didn’t give enough to get accepted for PIP

it was a dedicated mental health benefits expert who advised me to always respond with "at worst" responses

That's very poor advice you received here. You should definitely not concentrate on your worst days. This is not what PIP is about, it's how you are at least 50% of the time. By concentrating on your worst days you're giving the wrong impression. If you did this and attend an assessment during one of your better days they could think "you can't be as bad as you said you were"