Hello everyone,
I'm new to the forum, but I've been online reading through forums for a long time seeking information on ADHD diagnoses and PIP.
I've read some complete horror stories, but I wanted to share my experience, because it's been completely seamless.
I had my ADHD diagnosis back in 2016, but I've never claimed PIP because I work, but found myself needing extra support and this is what I use my PIP for. I have some comorbid neurodiversity and mental health conditions, so these do also impact my daily living.
Although the process has been seamless, I've had to do quite a bit of fighting along the way! I had to really stand my ground with my GP to refer me onto a speciality secondary mental health team. I got to be seen by a Psychiatrist as a short term intervention pathway, and again they tried to discharge me. I simply refused to be discharged and fought for what I needed, which was support from an OT, Care Coordinator and speciality talking therapy. At times, it was draining, but I go there. I used all of these assessments and clinic letters to complete my PIP assessment.
I had a Support Worker from a local charity to help me put my application together and we submitted that. I had a video assessment about 4 months after that and the assessor was a CPN and she really understood. 1 month later a Decision Maker called me and awarded me PIP.
Just wanted to put a positive story out there and open that line of discussion if anyone's struggling