Hi, my name is cjg30! I had a PIP assessment yesterday, it has left me worried

cjg30

hello, i had a pip assessment yesterday it has left me worried with intrusive thoughts.  It was almost like i was asked same question until i changed my answer to something they wanted to here. No means no but i was pushed to saying ok maybe ect when the reality is no. Also i was trying to explain my mental health she kept saying ptsd and its cptsd there is a difference .  She had to google it. . She said if she asked me to go get her a bottle of milk now would I, i said no then she kept on saying but how would i try ect , i said i wouldnt but she kept on until i said ok i might be able to try later in the day maybe. She said do i speak to ppl in shop i said most the time not but there is a women who i might speak as she showes concern about my anxiety, she said so you talk in shop. Reality is 95 percent of time i avoid confrontation. She asked me if i get suicidal and what stops me . All this has left me wound up with realy bad thoughts going through my head. The whole thing has left me paranoid.  She also asked me about what i thought about Boris Johnson which im not sure why she asked this. She kept on at things until i said something that probably isnt accurate and would go against me. No means no , yes means yes ect keep asking me i ended up saying maybe and that was what was put down i think.   

cjg30

hi thanks. I Struggle to get appointments with gp. I often feel it would be a wast of time these days . Its seems like the same thing if i go. i could try and get appointment but ive done that in past and dont get much better for . Ill try Samaritans maybe .

Ross_Alumni

Hello @cjg30

Welcome to the community, thanks for making your opening post and speaking so honestly about how you feel about the assessment. Sorry that the experience wasn't a positive one for you, however I hope that the outcome of your claim is a positive one.

In general how is your mental health at the moment? Do you receive any support to manage it such as from your GP? If you ever feel as though things are becoming harder to cope with then it might be worth getting in touch with your GP to tell them about how you feel, and hopefully they'll be able to support you. These days you can even refer yourself for NHS talking therapy without seeing your GP, if that would be an option that appeals to you.

Samaritans are a good option to consider, and you can also contact Shout by texting "Shout" to 85258. The mental health charity Mind have a lot of useful resources too, such as this information page about the techniques you can use to cope in difficult moments.

Do you live with anybody, or have any close family or friends, who you can talk to if you ever feel as though you need someone familiar to chat with?

​ 

This is a very supportive and welcoming site to be a part of so I’m hopeful that you’ll find it to be a positive outlet. Feel free to have a look around and get involved wherever you’d like 😊 I have included below a few of the pages I’d recommend having a look through to get used to things:

• The virtual coffee lounge which is one of our categories, in which we play games and talk about general subjects such as hobbies and interests
• The recent discussions page, which shows an overview of everything happening across the community
• The categories page, which shows a full list of discussion groups on the community

If you have any questions at all then don’t hesitate to ask.

cjg30

Thanks for your reply, i probly do need more help and i will try soon. Im on my own and gp are aware of my problems but i dont think they ever fully understand, maybe that will come in time. Sometimes i think it will take me getting even worse before ppl can help . I am aware of alot of suport available and it would probly be wise for me to reach out to something at this point. I no im not well and my lifes ruined but its always added presure of things in life itself . The pip assesment has realy got me paranoid and makes me feeling like im being judged to how they want me to be judged to fit in as much with what possituve outcome they want for them not for me. It might of been bit more helpfull if they new what my condition was and doing bit of reserach before hand. They could of then come up with more apropriate qeistions. Im not sure why they cany communicate more with esa ect, and at least do a bit of rserch on indervidual cases before. Thanks for your reply and seeing that there is more help is good. I may pop in to virtual coffee lounge that sounds intresting.

Tori_Scope

Thanks for your reply, i probly do need more help and i will try soon. Im on my own and gp are aware of my problems but i dont think they ever fully understand, maybe that will come in time.

It's worth trying @cjg30 It can sometimes take a few appointments before GPs are able to understand what challenges you face, and how this affects you. Could writing it all down and handing that to them make it easier to get everything across?

If you live in England, and would prefer not to go through your GP, you could also look into referring yourself for support through the NHS IAPT service. 

You could have a look on the Hub of Hope to find support outside of the NHS, such as support from charities or other local organisations, too. 

Many people feel as though they're being judged when going through the PIP process, so you're not alone in feeling that way. Please do keep us updated on your progress

Tori_Scope

How have you been getting on @cjg30? 

Sue_Alumni

Hi @cjg30!
I'm so sorry to hear that you had such a distressing time at your health assessment and that your experience has impacted on your mental health. I can understand, and I am sure this will resound with other members on the online community, how upsetting it is to have an assessor who has no understanding of your mental health conditions and has not properly acquainted themselves with your case. 
Health Assessments should be carried out in accordance with prescribed guidelines and in your case it seems that this was not done. You can complain about the way your assessment was handled but you may feel that this process may make your anxiety even worse.  It is probably of little comfort to know that there are many people on the community who, like you, feel very distressed and that their anxiety and mental health has deteriorated as a result of the assessment. Do try and make some time for yourself doing some nice things that may make you smile. As you suggest the coffee lounge is a great place to start !