Depression and Benefits

[yewotc5]

Stuck what to do for the best.

Was on anti depressants, but daftly stopped taking them out of embarassment. Went back to my doctor just before Christmas as was feeling awful, and he gave me a new prescription to start them again. Felt I was starting to see the positive effects, but since my dad said he can no longer support me with money and needs me to claim benefits its like it has all come back on again :( Going out and buying 4 or 5 scratchcards nearly every day in the hope of a big win so I don't have to worry any more is not normal. Just getting me further unhappy, and in further money problems

Spoke to an advisor at the job centre, and someone on the Universal Credit helpline who both think I'd be better off claiming ESA for a couple of momths. They said it will give my depression chance to stabilise, like I get bad days at the moment and they said you miss one appointment due to a bad day and.they stop your money. They said UC is lots more stricter than JSA ever was and you're expected to do lots more work search. With ESA i could claim for a couple of months to get myself right and then move to UC

Now just got to try and get a fit note of the doctor, soonest they can get me in is for a telephone consultation with the doctor I last saw on Tuesday. Dreading it, last time i saw him he gave me a 2 month supply of the anti-depressants so asume he will see it as having them means I don't need a fit note. Home wise doing a tiny bit better but still having days where I can feel happy and instantly gor no reason whatsoever, my mood will flip. Add the thought of.claiming UC into that and looking for full time work and its not great. ESA would also give me chance to do what i am at the moment, and look for part time work off my own back for a bit without job centre pressure

My head just feels messed up knowing what to do for the best

After speaking to Universal Credit helpline, finished in tears because they said ESA would be better for a couple of months and just very worried my doc won't give me a fit note

Have this telephone consultation with doctor booked for Tuesday, but part of me is saying cancel it as no way he'll give me a fit note, negative thoughts there.

[sherlock holmes]

I am claiming ESA, I went onto it after claiming JSA and not doing well with looking for work due to my bipolar. I am in the support group which means I am not required to look for work at all, the other group is the work related activity group (wrag) where you are expected to look for work like if you were on JSA, only you get a lot more help.

When you claim ESA you'll be put on the assessment rate where you send your medical certificates in until you have a medical assessment by someone who decides which group you get put into.

I understand how distressing it is applying for benefits, I recently had to update my DLA application and it made me feel suicidal.

If your GP has given you 2 months worth of antidepressants then I don't see why he'd refuse to write a sick note. Plus if you tell him you are applying for ESA then he will know that you will need a sick note for that.

It might be worth contacting your local citizen's advice bureau who can help with applying for benefits.

Please don't cancel your appointment- see what he says.

[yewotc5]

I am claiming ESA, I went onto it after claiming JSA and not doing well with looking for work due to my bipolar. I am in the support group which means I am not required to look for work at all, the other group is the work related activity group (wrag) where you are expected to look for work like if you were on JSA, only you get a lot more help.

When you claim ESA you'll be put on the assessment rate where you send your medical certificates in until you have a medical assessment by someone who decides which group you get put into.

I understand how distressing it is applying for benefits, I recently had to update my DLA application and it made me feel suicidal.

If your GP has given you 2 months worth of antidepressants then I don't see why he'd refuse to write a sick note. Plus if you tell him you are applying for ESA then he will know that you will need a sick note for that.

It might be worth contacting your local citizen's advice bureau who can help with applying for benefits.

Please don't cancel your appointment- see what he says.
Thank you for your reply :) Actually counted my anti depressants, and supply takes me right up to 23rd Feb. Doctor has actually now added them so I can order on repeat prescription

Anyway, you're right, it is very scary applying for benefits. You said about there being a work related activity group on ESA, wouldn't mind that as I do want to get back in to work eventually, just hard at the moment. But you can also get rejected for that group too can't you and have to then apply for normal JSA or Universal Credit instead

The medical part scares me to death, seen stories on the internet and I'm not great at explaining in person how I feel due to my extremely low confidence, think its actually social anxiety but never followed that up really

Anyway, I have a holiday coming up at the end of May, so even if I can claim ESA until then and then have to go on Universal Credit afterwards, it will give me a few momths to get a bit better than I am at the moment. Been looking for work ever since I was told I had depression a year ago and its not a great combination. I think all the rejections have actually added to it. Then I've been that low, I turned to gambling to give me a hugh, but just got me in debt problems. That has made me further depressed. Too embarassed to even tell my doctor about that as I feel ashamed, plus couldn't handle GA sessions as too embarassed to speak about it to a stranger :(

What is the actual medical assessment like ? How much chance is there of passing it with what I have described ?

Also, heard at the moment assessments are quite a while anyway as huge backlog ?

Thank you for any help :)

[sherlock holmes]

You're right about the backlog, you're supposed to be assessed after 11-13 weeks of being on ESA but many people are on it for a year or more before their assessment. I didn't actually have an assessment, I found out 8 months after I applied that I was put straight into the support group, so I don't know what happens at the medicals.

But at least it would mean that you'd be on ESA for between 3-12 months before the assessment so you'd have money coming in without looking for work during that time, which would give you some space to relax a bit and concentrate on getting better!

I don't know much about the criteria they look for, to be honest you've got depression and you take medication for it so they can't ignore that. But the more medical evidence you have the better, for example if you see a counsellor they can write you a letter describing what you struggle with and so on.

[yewotc5]

You're right about the backlog, you're supposed to be assessed after 11-13 weeks of being on ESA but many people are on it for a year or more before their assessment. I didn't actually have an assessment, I found out 8 months after I applied that I was put straight into the support group, so I don't know what happens at the medicals.

But at least it would mean that you'd be on ESA for between 3-12 months before the assessment so you'd have money coming in without looking for work during that time, which would give you some space to relax a bit and concentrate on getting better!

I don't know much about the criteria they look for, to be honest you've got depression and you take medication for it so they can't ignore that. But the more medical evidence you have the better, for example if you see a counsellor they can write you a letter describing what you struggle with and so on.
Now that might go against me, I don't see a counsellor, just on meds. To be honest, I don't think I could handle seeing a counsellor, my low confidence which I think could poss be social anxiety means where I am coherent on the internet, speaking to strangers in person is something I generally tend to avoid :(

But then I guess if the assessments are taking a long time to come through at the moment, that may not matter. If I can claim for a couple of months to get myself a bit better and maybe improve my confidence with some little voluntary thing it may would be ok :) No pressure looking for work for a couple of months and then start again in a better frame of mind

Only worry is how to ask my doc for a fit note, scared he will say no and thats why my head is telling me to just cancel the phone appt and give up hope

Maybe telling him about my gambling and the debt collectors letters which tends to start when I am down which at the moment is quite a bit might help, but then I don't want referring to a support group again for confidence reasons. But then even just speaking to him and getting some money coming in and taking away stress of job seeking for a couple of months will help me :)

I'm just so worried how to go about it all, worried what to say to doc on phone, worried I will mess up my claim, worried what to do if he says no :( All so hard

[sherlock holmes]

Please dont worry so much! When I get anxious about making phone calls I write down what I need to say first, so I can refer back to it if I get stuck.

It sounds like you have confidence and anxiety issues, does that impact on your ability to get a job too? Its something you can write on the claim form too.

I really would encourage you to talk to someone like a counsellor. Its worth getting through the initial anxiety as then you might start to feel loads better from talking to the counsellor, but if you do nothing then your anxiety will just stay. I am saying this as a person who used to be so anxious and agoraphobic i couldnt leave my house at all.

[yewotc5]

Please dont worry so much! When I get anxious about making phone calls I write down what I need to say first, so I can refer back to it if I get stuck.

It sounds like you have confidence and anxiety issues, does that impact on your ability to get a job too? Its something you can write on the claim form too.

I really would encourage you to talk to someone like a counsellor. Its worth getting through the initial anxiety as then you might start to feel loads better from talking to the counsellor, but if you do nothing then your anxiety will just stay. I am saying this as a person who used to be so anxious and agoraphobic i couldnt leave my house at all.
Haha, I'm just a natural worrier :tongue2: What would you recommend saying to my doctor when he phones ? It's like I know the job centre have said ESA would be better for me for a couple of months, but I have just got it into my head that there is no way on earth I will be able to get a fit note. Just see the worst outcome in everything,

I would say my confidence issues and possibly some anxiety impact a lot on ability to get a job , firstly I see lots of job descriptions which I read through and just see reasons why I could never do that job. If I get an interview, my nervousness just shines through, worry about the interview days beforehand. The jobs I have had, had to ask for help nearly all the time, was so scared of messing up, the retail job I had, I hated being on the tills with a long queue infront of me, ended up giving too much change a few times, like my confidence took away my ability to count (prob sounds daft, I know).

Then obviously the depression, getting into debt has added to my depression. It's not huge debt by no means, about £200ish, but it feels huge to me with no money coming in. So I just get further depressed, and because I am on edge, family might say something which I take the wrong way easily.

Is it daft to say, even if I attempted counselling to keep taking the anti-depressants as don't want a relapse ? Felt awful when I did that last time

But yeah, can't tackle any of my problems at the moment because just so worried about if I can't get a fit note, pressures of job centre will be there to find a full time job which I really don't think I could handle at the moment

[yewotc5]

I feel so daft, and like a failure. Was meant to have this telephone consultation today about a fit note but cancelled at last minute Felt sick with nerves, deffo have some kind of anxiety, fear of rejection

Do you think I should speak with one of the receptionists and ask them to pass a message on to the doctor , so he knows exactly what it is about ?

Can't live without money for much longer

[sherlock holmes]

Sorry to hear you cancelled the appointment. If it eases your anxiety then yes you can ask the receptionist to pass on a note to the doctor. I would really encourage you to make an appointment as soon as possible to help your money situation.

[yewotc5]

Sorry to hear you cancelled the appointment. If it eases your anxiety then yes you can ask the receptionist to pass on a note to the doctor. I would really encourage you to make an appointment as soon as possible to help your money situation.
Hi, spoke to practice manager or rather emailed, and she said the same thing, she understands my difficulty but would be best if I phoned in to make an appointment

I think I just feel like my problems aren't enough to warrant asking for a fit note, but then I like at my confidence and anxiety and it's terrible. Emailed about a job today and the guy asked me to phone him, can't even bring myself to do that. Where possible I always communicate through either email or text :(

Then I'm sat here depression levels soring as so many things going round me head, feel ashamed that when I get into money problems my first thought is gamble and see if I can win something :( Although am trying to tackle that by online chat on GamCare

Practice manager said I'd never be forced into counselling, so maybe if I just visited my doctor every so often

Family asking if I claimed benefits yet and I'm just bluffing my way with that at the moment

[yewotc5]

Sorry to hear you cancelled the appointment. If it eases your anxiety then yes you can ask the receptionist to pass on a note to the doctor. I would really encourage you to make an appointment as soon as possible to help your money situation.
Finally went to the doctors today without cancelling in fear, think my anxiety is more social situations than generalised so had a chat and been given the number of some CBT thing to phone, although there is a waiting list

Doctor has given me a fit note, thought be lucky to get 2 weeks, but been signed unfit for 2 months, so can get my ESA claim started tomorrow :D

Doctor said, he will probably renew it until I can get some help for my anxiety

My only concern is, the medical I have heard that you are more likely to pass if you have mental health team on board but there are waiting lists for the CBT in my area, so if the medical comes around before that I will have no mental health team on board. Just my GP.

Although, if what is being said about backlogs is true, I may not need to worry about the medical for a while

Going on holiday at the end of May, so if after a few months break I feel a bit better depression wise I may decide to start looking for work again, but still attend CBT for the anxiety issue. Few months break and get finances in order could help me out, plus the voluntary work I started in the school :)

[sherlock holmes]

I'm so glad you saw your doctor and got a fit note!

Don't worry too much about the assessment, it might not happen for ages, and they'll talk to your GP about how you are. Just make sure when you fill out the ESA forms you write about how the depression affects you, be honest and don't leave anything out even if you think it's silly.