What does pain and depression look like? — Scope | Disability forum
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What does pain and depression look like?

sleepy1
sleepy1 Community member Posts: 297 Pioneering
Many people have had assessments where the reports have said things like does not look like in pain, no depression observed, looks well..........Really!
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Comments

  • Jurph
    Jurph Community member Posts: 369 Pioneering
    Really!

    Mine said I "didn't look tired, anxious or depressed". I'd like to know how I'm meant to look.
  • Nystagmite
    Nystagmite Community member Posts: 596 Pioneering
    I was told I don't look tired either. No, that's why with even 8 hours sleep, I want a nap at 2pm. My assessment was at 9am.

    I'd just taken my medication, which as anyone knows, does take some time to kick in.
  • sleepy1
    sleepy1 Community member Posts: 297 Pioneering
    I think they have a whole host of stupid questions.........Asking someone with down's syndrome how did they catch it beggars belief.

    https://www.rt.com/uk/418773-disability-cuts-pip-payments/
  • whistles
    whistles Community member Posts: 1,583 Disability Gamechanger
    I do think they have set criteria and unless someone corrects me with proof, certain disabilities/ illnesses get certain points. 
    I am reading posts from people with the same conditions as me who scored less, nothing or didn't quite get the standard 8. 
    I accept I probably don't qualify, I accept I probably didn't fully understand the forms- but everyone has also misunderstood the forms, unlikely. 

    If someone with a diagnosis of dementia and Alzheimer's is ignored, how on earth do I get my short term memory loss across!
    Do not follow me, I don't know where I am going.
  • Nystagmite
    Nystagmite Community member Posts: 596 Pioneering
    It's supposedly based on how you are. But it seems that unless you meet their definition of disabled, you can't be.

    I don't have hearing difficulties according to them. The letter from ENT clearly states it's hypersenstivity to noise (which you obviously can't tell until you take me somewhere loud and I either put my hands over my ears or walk out) and processing of sounds. The latter is more obvious if there's more than one noise.
  • Waylay
    Waylay Community member, Scope Member Posts: 973 Pioneering
    Yeah, he said I didn't look tired - I'd slept 2 hours out of the last 48 due to anxiety.
    He said I seemed well-nourished. Actually, I'd lost a lot of weight, as I'd been extremely anxious and very depressed, and when I'm like that I stop eating for days, and don't eat properly for weeks. He asked me how much I'd lost, and I said I didn't know as I don't have a scale (I have a tendency toward tracking my weight far too closely and focusing on it, so I got rid of the scale). I did say that I'd had to make a new hole in my belt, but apparently that wasn't of interest. I weighed myself at my partner's a couple of weeks later, and I was 3.5kg under my usual (I'm skinny as hell anyway). That was despite the fact that my partner had been coming by 3 times a week to make me eat for weeks.

    He made a huge deal out of the fact that my MH meds haven't changed in 2 years, but didn't ask me why:.
    a) I have refractory Major Depression - 14 MH meds in 24 years, of all the major classes except one, and all of them have stopped working after a while. Venlafaxine has kept working for 8?9? years, although not amazingly well. They added lamotrigine a couple of years ago for mood swings, and that seemed to help a bit.
    b) Venlafaxine has a horrendous withdrawal syndrome, and I'm on the max inpatient dose (375mg). It would take months to titrate me down, with nasty side effects, and I'm terrified of what would happen during those months, as they wouldn't be able to give me anything else until I was off of it.
    c) Venlafaxine and lamotrigine both have some effects on chronic pain, so it seems silly to go off them.
    d) I'm on a lot of prescription and OTC meds. Finding a combo that doesn't cause nasty interactions and still has some useful effects was v. difficult. Unless a new superdrug comes along, my pain consultant, psychiatrist, GP and I think it's best to leave things as they are.
    But no, 2 years on the same meds means that I'm stable. I have Borderline PD - the definition of unstable mood! Also, even if I *were* stable, that doesn't mean I'd be *healthy*.

    ARGH.

  • debbiedo49
    debbiedo49 Community member Posts: 2,904 Disability Gamechanger
  • [Deleted User]
    [Deleted User] Posts: 1,741 Listener
    The user and all related content has been deleted.
  • shazier
    shazier Community member Posts: 82 Pioneering
    mosy said:
    My husband just had his appeal and lost .They said you don't look confused He has vascular dementia and Alzheimer's he also blind in one eye after a stroke.He also has spine problem What are you sopose to look like when you are in ill health . Taking it further .
    My dad has Alzheimers and was diognosed 7yrs ago, you wouldnt know just by looking at him, my mum makes sure he is dressed well and he doesnt look confused all the time either, you would need to chat with him to realize he gets confused and is very forgetful, this is disgusting, my dad doesnt have pip, he has attendance allowance, he had his forms filled in for him, im not sure ho it was,, he had no face to face assesment,  i hope you get your husband what he deserves, its disgusting that the most genuine people have to fight for there entitlements. life for people with mental health issues and phyical issue is difficult enouugh without the goverment putting more added stress and anxiety on us. i dont know how they manage to sleep at night. if only they could have the difficuties just for a few months and live the  life that we have to face eaach and every day. i wish you all the best, if this were me i wouldn't mentally be able to cope and  fight these people and they know  allot of people cant. good luck
  • debbiedo49
    debbiedo49 Community member Posts: 2,904 Disability Gamechanger
    Someone should build a campaign about invisible illness and the DWP

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