Just had my Assessment for PTSD

forsbrook

nasturtium said:

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

im sure you are aware that the pip process, indeed any benefits process cannot accomodate the  kind of continual ups and downs a mental health sufferer may endure. in no way do i condone lying, but a little knowledge of how the process really works is always beneficial.

forsbrook

poppy123456 said:

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"

hi poppy, regardless of opinion, the methods i describe are how its done, there will be people sitting in hospital with an advisor right now recieving all the advice i recieved.
of course, this is not a command and everyone is free to fill in the forms as they wish.
my pip process has involved testimonies from my original benefits advisor, my consultant in hospital, two support workers and my present doctor...there is no way any assessor is going to ignore all that and assume i am "cured" because im on a good day.
by "50%" i assume you mean the median. in my experience, there is no way of knowing when and how you are at the median.

poppy123456

forsbrook said:

poppy123456 said:

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"

hi poppy, regardless of opinion, the methods i describe are how its done, there will be people sitting in hospital with an advisor right now recieving all the advice i recieved.
of course, this is not a command and everyone is free to fill in the forms as they wish.
my pip process has involved testimonies from my original benefits advisor, my consultant in hospital, two support workers and my present doctor...there is no way any assessor is going to ignore all that and assume i am "cured" because im on a good day.
by "50%" i assume you mean the median. in my experience, there is no way of knowing when and how you are at the median.

I'm sorry but i couldn't disagree more. You should never concentrate on those worst days. The 50% rule applies over a 12 month period.

To call them self an expert and then give this advice is quite concerning. Unless the medical evidence states exactly how your conditions affect you then it's not always helpful.

forsbrook

poppy123456 said:

forsbrook said:

poppy123456 said:

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"

hi poppy, regardless of opinion, the methods i describe are how its done, there will be people sitting in hospital with an advisor right now recieving all the advice i recieved.
of course, this is not a command and everyone is free to fill in the forms as they wish.
my pip process has involved testimonies from my original benefits advisor, my consultant in hospital, two support workers and my present doctor...there is no way any assessor is going to ignore all that and assume i am "cured" because im on a good day.
by "50%" i assume you mean the median. in my experience, there is no way of knowing when and how you are at the median.

I'm sorry but i couldn't disagree more. You should never concentrate on those worst days. The 50% rule applies over a 12 month period.

To call them self an expert and then give this advice is quite concerning. Unless the medical evidence states exactly how your conditions affect you then it's not always helpful.

thanks poppy, ive learnt something there by reading up on the 50 percent rule. the dwp comments on daily or even hourly changes to needs was very interesting.
to finish i wish to point out that i am NOT giving advice, merely passing on bona-fide information given to me by a mental health benefits professional, his assistant and a fully qualified support worker trained in benefit applications and i repeat, there is no way of knowing when or how you are at the median.
i think we should return this thread to mark now.

poppy123456

forsbrook said:

poppy123456 said:

forsbrook said:

poppy123456 said:

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"

hi poppy, regardless of opinion, the methods i describe are how its done, there will be people sitting in hospital with an advisor right now recieving all the advice i recieved.
of course, this is not a command and everyone is free to fill in the forms as they wish.
my pip process has involved testimonies from my original benefits advisor, my consultant in hospital, two support workers and my present doctor...there is no way any assessor is going to ignore all that and assume i am "cured" because im on a good day.
by "50%" i assume you mean the median. in my experience, there is no way of knowing when and how you are at the median.

I'm sorry but i couldn't disagree more. You should never concentrate on those worst days. The 50% rule applies over a 12 month period.

To call them self an expert and then give this advice is quite concerning. Unless the medical evidence states exactly how your conditions affect you then it's not always helpful.

to finish i wish to point out that i am NOT giving advice, merely passing on bona-fide information given to me by a mental health benefits professional

I never once said you were "giving" the advice. What I said was the advice you were given by the benefits “expert” is the worst advice. 

Markh1982

These comments have stressed me abit not going to lie as I didn’t really lay it on I just said what I struggled with, especially nightmares, cooking and socialising I’m worried I haven’t said enough now to be applicable for anything. 

Thank you for the gardening advice I think I will start with veg and see how that goes 

SueHeath

Hi @Markh1982 bless you don't feel stressed, the deed is done just the waiting game darling.
If you don't want to be reminded of this thread just start another one,

Markh1982

Hi sue now it’s good information just where I am at the minute, I’ve just read about how the points system works, and from the questions on there I don’t think I score enough points as I don’t need help to wash and dress myself etc the points system doesn’t seem to be about socialising or struggling to sleep having insomnia because I’m scared to close my eyes and the nightmares that follow

SueHeath

That sounds awful for you @Markh1982 fingers crossed things will work out for you.
I don't suppose there is a magic pill that can stop nightmares does anythink help you ?

poppy123456

Markh1982 said:

Hi sue now it’s good information just where I am at the minute, I’ve just read about how the points system works, and from the questions on there I don’t think I score enough points as I don’t need help to wash and dress myself etc the points system doesn’t seem to be about socialising or struggling to sleep having insomnia because I’m scared to close my eyes and the nightmares that follow

Sleeping isn't considered in any of the descriptors. Socialising is considered in Activity 7, communicating verbally and activity 9 engaging with others face to face.

Washing and dressing. For both of those do you need prompting to do any of those? Maybe you just don't feel like getting dressed or if you do dress you wear the same clothes everyday. Same for washing/bathing, do you need prompting for this? Points can be scored even if you don't receive that help because it's based on the help you need, not the help you receive.

Markh1982

I’ve tried sleeping pills but because I’m fighting against sleeping I’m just even more tired the day after, I did say that I have to be prompted yes but not help with them

Markh1982

And I did say I wear the same clothes for a few days, I know it’s not hygeienic but it really does feel like too much effort

SueHeath

Just a thought but wouldn't you think sleep deprevation would come some were in pip descriptors - when i have had several nights with bad sleep i can not think straight never mind drive or use machinery.

poppy123456

SueHeath said:

Just a thought but wouldn't you think sleep deprevation would come some were in pip descriptors - when i have had several nights with bad sleep i can not think straight never mind drive or use machinery.

Indeed it can cause lots of things but being unable to sleep is in itself not part of the PIP descriptors. Night and day rules were more part of DLA.

Markh1982

I would of thought it was part of it and did mention the 2 traumatic experiences I had within 10 months although she couldn’t write what they were I said my driving was fine which I think will go against me

Markh1982

I’ve also had to change jobs because of the experiences I had I didn’t feel I could complete the job to a good standard so I’ve gone back to a safe office job

SueHeath

Bless you @Markh1982 i take it you've had all the counciling etc it must be an awful thing to go through.

Markh1982

 Yes I went through EMDR Therapy which just made me worse, but they said that could be how it goes unfortunately 

SueHeath

whats EMDR - hope you don't mind me asking.

Markh1982

it’s a rapid eye movement therapy that is meant to break down the images and reset your brain, it didn’t work with me although it was done over Skype so I don’t know if that would be a reason why it didn’t work