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Post by tessaract on Nov 19, 2015 14:30:33 GMT
Very eloquent indeed. Welcome
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tortoise
Member's not posted much yet
Posts: 2
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Post by tortoise on Nov 19, 2015 17:58:14 GMT
Hi gc7
You sound as if you're in a very similar position as myself at the moment, and yes, my GP has also brought up the possibility of BPD (presumably just to rule it out...?).
Hope it all works out OK for you
Tortoise
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Post by blaze on Nov 25, 2015 13:25:43 GMT
Theres a small overlap between adhd and pds, nowhere near as significant as the overlap between dds, or the overlap between adhd & physical disabilities like cfs, hmjs etc
I actually found the two general psychs (diagnosing one with his own adhd & specialist interest) and head consultant who prescribed my meds for a decade or so, far far better than the current adhd specialist psych from adhd service who icurreny see, who is lovely & totally fautless but nowhere near as helpful & insightful & supportive as the prior two. So writing off that option may not be the most helpful.
I also have found hcp in generally great when it comes to adhd, i havnt found stigma or prejudice either dealing with my adhd or my kids referals- infact my kids gp, who used to work for camhs, agreed straight off my kids present as having adhd, as did pead etc (although tl young for assessment for adhd they are under assessment for other dds). And i am no fan of hcp- could rant for hours about mat care, usess physios etc. My only dealins with adhd & benefits was the dla form that was granted straight away, & recenly requesting pips forms- the woman i spoke to on the phone was lovely. Friends, colleges, driving instructor,my kids school etc all accept without prejudice and its only in the press i have found stigma- so you may find real life folks are just fine. The only time i felt discriminated against (as an adult) was at uni, student disabity advisir was great, but tutors refused to comply with reasonable adjustments.
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Post by contrarymary on Dec 4, 2015 15:38:13 GMT
Hi gc7 and welcome to the forum I'm so sorry to read about your awful experience with the DWP - it sounds a nightmare. I really empathise. Although my situation is not the same, I have had some similar experiences and had to battle the system on a number of occasions. The thing that I have found MOST helpful in recent times has been the website www.benefitsandwork.co.uk It's run by a couple of people who used to be expert advisers on disability issues for CAB and have developed the site & a number of training programmes to share their expertise more widely. The guides & forum are run on a membership basis - usually costs £15-20 / year, they're always doing offers. They've written downloadable guides to absolutely EVERYTHING to do with the process of claiming sickness or disability benefits, from first claim through to writing & attending appeals. There's also a facilitated forum for specific questions. It's the best £15/year I've ever spent. It does sound as though your ability to work is clearly affected by your ADHD symptoms, whether or not you currently have a diagnosis. The fact that your GP has applied for and received specialist funding to refer you for assessment, and is likely to be able to write a letter to say exactly that, may well be sufficient medical evidence to get the ATOS/DWP decision over-turned in your favour. DO go ahead with the appeal. I know it's hard but it's SO worth doing. Dust off that ADHDer passion for justice and use it on your own behalf this time. ATOS/DWP are wrong and you are right. They are withholding funds intended as a basic income to support you as you go through the process of assessment and treatment. They are all earning salaries/bonuses/making shareholders rich instead of supporting people at their time of need. You can do this!
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Post by hermanli on Dec 4, 2015 17:28:38 GMT
Sorry, im a bit overwhelmed with all the writing here, will take me a long time to process. But I did manage to pickup the ESA rejection and something about ATOS.
For ESA you only need a doctors sick note.
The Whole ATOS/CAPITA thing is for PIP. Which you should also be able to claim if you fill in the form correctly (not easy) and have sufficient 'evidence' (again not easy)
But you have had a long relationship with mental health services so you should have lots of reports etc right? These will work. You dont need to show that ADHD is causing you problems, the general mental health issues is enough. It does not matter what the condition is , mental or physical, what matters is how it affects you in daily life. - This is for PIP.
Again to reiterate, ESA just needs a doctors note. Nothing more.
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Post by contrarymary on Dec 4, 2015 17:52:37 GMT
sadly hermanli ATOS/Capita/Maximus does affect ESA - esp when you are sent for a Work Capability Assessment (WCA) and found fit for work when you are not. after Mandatory Reconsideration by DWP, if they do not over-rule the previous decision, you have the choice to either appeal to the Tribunals Service or to give up and try to claim JSA instead. which is tricky if you know you are not well enough. Thousands of people have been stuck in between the two systems - clearly not well enough to work and thus unable/unwilling to say that they are - but found "fit for work" by ATOS/Capita/Maximus. It's previously come up a fair bit in discussions in parliament and been highlighted by the Disability News Service.
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Post by contrarymary on Dec 4, 2015 20:09:54 GMT
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Post by hermanli on Dec 5, 2015 1:30:53 GMT
Thank you ContraryMary, I will definitely take a look at that benefits advice site. Thanks also for your supportive comments. The road to diagnosis can be quite an isolating experience, so a forum providing peer support is really great. Hi Hermanli, thanks for your reply but my letter from DWP actually says "Mandatory Reconsideration - Employment Support Allowance (ESA)", so maybe they have changed things regarding benefits. I do have a currently valid doctor's certificate saying that I am unfit for work and that is valid until January. I have sent this to DWP but apparently they can disregard this if ATOS deems you fit. Ok, thinking back I think I remember my application for ESA, I think it said that I "Might" be called for an assessment, but I wasn't. At that time I didnt even have my psychiatrist report, I just did an extremely thorough application form and provided doctors sick note. And that was it. I guess I was lucky that I was so worried about the whole thing that I spent like 3months or more filling in the form. It was thick, envelope bursting with glued in additional notes.
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Post by marionk on Nov 22, 2016 9:15:08 GMT
DWP advised me to contact Jobcentre Direct and sign on for Jobseeker's Allowance. As this seemed the only alternative left open to me, I contacted them and was unlucky to be connected to an extremely curt and robotic call centre operator who asked me whether I considered that I had a disability that affected my ability to work. I told her that I believed I had, but that ATOS had told me that I did not - therefore how should I answer the question? She told me that I would have to answer "yes or no" and that she could not give me advice. Failure to answer yes or no would mean that she would terminate the claim (which she then did). That was last week. I currently have absolutely no income at all. Zero. I'm at the 'requesting a mandatory reconsideration' stage atm, but in an attempt to prepare myself for the worst, amongst other things, I have been wondering about claiming JSA. I have a dim memory of coming across precisely that dilemma i.e. TTBOMM You have to be fit for work in order to be eligible for JSA, and not only that, but you have to declare that you are. AFAICR there is nothing about 'in the eyes of the DWP', so that by signing the application, you are actually lying (assuming you aren't actually capable) or effectively relinquishing your right to ESA. I think there may be a 'let out' in that your condition could worsen, but I've been on whatever it was called before it was JSA, and I know I couldn't keep up with the routine requirements anyway, so there is no point in my applying anyway. It's a bloody nasty set up, and as, between the two (being declared fit for work and not actually being fit for work) you have sod all to live on, short of remortgaging the house, if you're lucky enough to have to got that far before TSHTF, or begging off friends and relatives, it's no wonder there are so many more people on the streets these days. I have written a letter to my local MP to outline the difficulties often faced by adults affected by ADHD with regard to maintaining employment and in negotiating the benefits system, which is set up to be difficult for anyone, but almost nigh impossible for those affected by Adult ADHD. Currently, the benefits sanction for leaving a job voluntarily is a maximum of 3 years. This is the actual wording used by DWP: Your Jobseeker’s Allowance (JSA) payments will be stopped for a period (‘sanctioned’) if you don’t do something your work coach or employment scheme provider asks you to do - for example, if you leave your last job or training without good reason or because of your behaviour I wonder how many people who are currently undiagnosed with Adult Hyperactive/Impulsive ADHD have been sanctioned because of this. I urge anyone in a similar situation to also write to your MP, not just from a personal point of view but in a bid to help raise awareness about Adult ADHD generally. If enough of us get together and do this, we will be hard to ignore and things may begin to slowly change. I'm not holding out great hope for any significant change with regard to benefits whilst we are at the mercy of the heartless and despotic Iain Duncan Smith, but we do have a voice and together we can make a difference. The bit in purple is particularly nasty for people whose difficulties actually include behavioural problems. I wonder, would leaving before you have a meltdown, or before you tell someone your frank and unreserved opinion of them in a very loud voice constitute good reason? I live in a very blue area, so I am pretty sure my MP is actually part of the problem, but pointing out that many otherwise intelligent and creative people are being driven to suicide, when actually relieving them from stress would allow them to recover and potentially make significant contributions to society, might actually have some effect. Unfortunately, even if they did change the system to help such people, it would almost certainly be no help to anyone with low intelligence or anything that doesn't have potential for improvement. (Several 'choice' words about politicians and multinationals removed.)
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Post by marionk on Nov 24, 2016 14:50:06 GMT
Seriously good post gc7My comment about leaving to avoid meltdown was rather tongue in cheek. Two important things I have learned over the years (thankfully not the hard way), is never to leave employment or accommodation voluntarily. It is imperative to wait until fired or evicted, and thankfully if I had a toxic work environment, it would trigger my bloodyminded side, so that I would continue to turn up until informed in writing that I was no longer employed. But that would still bring me up against the (potential ~ if I could even get a job again) problem of being dismissed due to my 'behaviour' which seems to be a catch-all let out for employers.
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