Hello Everyone
I am on contribution based ESA, I was in the assessment phase until last week when following my assessment in January I was put in the WRAG.
The assessor was a physiotherapist with no real knowledge of mental illness or the medications I was taking.
I scored 30 points in total so straight away qualified for ESA.
15 in going out
9 in social situations
6 in coping with change
But apparently I don't fit the descriptors for support group and the assessor felt I could manage work related activities!
The section of coping with social engagement, I scored me 9 points but my problems are with everyone including my son and husband living at home, so it is not restricted to just unfamiliar people. I believe I should have been placed in the highest for this group – ‘Engagement in social contact is always precluded due to difficulty relating to others or significant distress experienced by the individual.
I have not left the house in 26 years, I also suffer with extreme social phobia, GAD and depression.
I have now suffered from this for over 26 years; it impacts severely on day to day life and not a waking moment goes by that I am not anxious about something, it’s like a button inside me has become stuck and no one can find it to switch it off. It has progressively got worse as the years have gone by but especially when my husband went back to work in 2015 after his business failed, until then he had been looking after me and our children while working from home so I guess I had a safety net as he was always there.
I cannot even cope with my grown up children visiting the house now let alone other people. I live with my husband and 15 year old son but spend most of my time hidden away in my bedroom to avoid them. I basically cope with nothing, not a single moment goes by when I am not anxious. Even watching the TV has me panicking, basically anything that makes me feel trapped even talking to my husband. I wish the panic attacks were limited to going out but that's simply just the tip of the iceberg really.
On the morning of the medical I was in such a state I took 4mg of Diazepam which my doctor had given me to cope with emergency situations only, to me this was an emergency as I was in full blown panic mode with an assessor coming to the house. My husband stayed home as I would never have answered the door otherwise.
I think as she had so little knowledge she based her theory of me coping with work activities on me taking Diazepam, but my doctor just won't prescribe them like this, I had to beg for the few that he gave me as it was.
The medical report had mistakes in it, she said I had suicidal thoughts until 6 months ago when I started taking Diazepam. Incorrect I never started taking Diazepam at all, I had 28 tablets given to me last April and take them sparingly.
My medication was changed to Mirtazapine In June last year after my Mum died and I became even more depressed and I wasn't sleeping at all. The doctor felt a change was needed. I do have suicidal thoughts, they have not stopped.
There is no way I can cope with work related activities, I can barely cope with people that are close to me let alone strangers and as for leaving the house there is no way that will happen, it hasn't done for 26 years!
Because I am on contribution based I will now only get it for 4 more months, less if I fail to attend the job centre. My husband is on minimum wage and we barely make ends meet so to lose my ESA is going to hurt and make me feel even more useless than before. I put myself through so much to be assessed but I really thought they would see there was no way I would work like this.
Can anyone suggest anything that will get me into the support group, I have written a lengthy statement and asked my GP for a supporting letter, I also recently tried a computer based CBT course which my doctor suggested as I cannot cope with people, it has not helped but the questionnaires I completed each week showed me as a patient at risk so have printed those off. I also wrote to the therapist who phoned each week to see if she could help. I am not good on the phone so writing was the only thing I could do, otherwise I would never have asked.
Any help appreciated please.
---------- Post added at 10:23 ---------- Previous post was at 10:12 ----------
I would just add that I get PIP mobility standard rate but not awarded the living allowance despite not being able to cook or cope with daily life.
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