Proving you are ill??

[[SundayGirl]]

I apologize if this is in the wrong place, please move it to the right forum if it is.

So, i have a medical assessment coming up, you know the one i declared myself unfit for work & have now got to prove it to the goverment to get some sort of benefit.



I was working until my mental health problems caused me to have a break down & i was sent to the crisis team.
I suffer from depression, anxiety (which causes panic attacks), a mood disorder & an ED.
I am now awaiting a day patient program for my mood disorder, CBT for my depression & im waiting to go back into ED services. The day program is once a week & i have an introduction on the 8th of august, the rest.. well we all know what waiting lists are like.. i have a min of 3 months to wait (my assessment will be before that)

I dont understand how i can prove i am unfit for work right now. I am physically fit & healthy, extremely fit actually as part of my eating disorder is to due with exercising.
My MH does not effect my ability to learn etc or be alert about dangers (ive saw this is one of the questions they ask)
I go places on my own. Infact, i dont like going with other people at all.

For those who have depression etc you can understand how empty, hopeless the condition is. With that & my suicidal thoughts i just cant seem to function right now. Getting dressed is mentally exhausting, i cry all the time. Keeping myself alive is my main priority.
i want to work but i need to get myself to a point where i can cope, i need to concentrate on the help im waiting on.
Ive had an assessment before, it was for my eating disorder, it was brutal & the person made me feel pathetic. I was told i was fit for work even though i was hopspitalised due to ill health a few months after.

Can i request a mental health expert to do my assessment?
Knowing that this is coming up has sent my anxiety into over drive, whenever i think about it the worry causes me to shake completely.

Im sorry thhis was so jumbled & long.
advice would be amazing.

linz x

[talaiporia]

They'll talk to you, but it would help to talk to any professionals go see right now or your GP about it, to see if they can support your application (or write a letter).

I don't think you can request a MH specifically, but they should handle it delicately anyway. You can take a friend with you, or if you are quite bad, a carer. My mum is undergoing one right now (after sustaining a serious brain injury) and I think her neuro consultant is writing them a letter.

[Stellata]

One thing you could focus on is how your illness effects how you relate with people - difficulties around other people can be one of the things that can truly impact on ability to work well or not.

[FightingButterfly]

Ive never had to have one, and it's always my biggest fear that I'd be seen as some sort of fraud. I'm desperate to be well enough to work, I just know I'm simply not

Could you speak to MIND? There may be some sort of advocacy service in your area, who may be ale to go with you and support you. I also think you should write down beforehand just how it affects you. On a good and a bad day. Physically, emotionally, socially, practically etc. what your days are normally like. Anything you think might be important. Good luck x

[hope51]

I recently went for one (depression, personality disorder.) I'll be honest it wasn't nice but the waiting before going and whlist there was so much worse than the actual assesment. One thing i will say is if your someone who gets yourself in a state having to wait around in a waiting room for hours then maybe it would be a good idea to phone before hand and see if there running on time.

Also i think it's maybe a good idea to take someone with you for surport. I was dead against this idea but talked into it by a family member. Now looking back i'm glad i was. I didn't anticipate how much i wouldn't be able to voice how things effected me and so on mainly due to the stress i guess and i just clambed up after like 5 minutes and said nothing else. Soooo the desion was made again recluctantly on my part to have said family member come in and speak on my behalf. I hated that, i hated how honest they where being about me, how they where talking so direct and stright to the point about my problems. Something i would never have done. But if they hadn't have came in then things might not have gone as well. Guess point of the story is just be honest with them, or take someone with you that can be honest for you.

As for requesting a mental helth expert to do the assesment. I'm sure i read somewhere in all the rubbish that came with letter that you will be seen by someone that has experince in the given area, (can't remember exact words.)

I'll stop rambling now lol. My PM box is always open. Hope it all goes ok for you.