OCD & PIP - Page 2 — Scope | Disability forum
Please read our updated community house rules and community guidelines.

OCD & PIP

2

Comments

  • griff11
    griff11 Community member Posts: 127 Pioneering
    So today received a letter dated 2/5 for MR.  They have moved from zero points across the board to:
    • Preparing food  -2
    • Washing & bathing -2
    • Dressng & Underssing -2
    It has repeated in their summary:
    "At the assessment you appeared of average build, appropriately dressed and well kempt (they didn't note she had soaking wet hair as prior to assessment she left work, came home and showered which always involves washing hair as it's part of her ritual).  It is noted you presented with mild anxiety through out though this did not impact on your ability to engage with assessor.  There was no evidenc of low mood and you were able to build a rapport and maintain good eye contact with assessor..  You were able to maintain concentration throughout and resposon to questions in complex senteneces.  You were able to demonstrate logic and reasoning and appeared to understand the process of the assessment.  You demonstrated good understanding of your conditon, how it impacts on your functional abilities and the medication you are prescribed.   You demonstrated good long and short term memory and able to provide a detailed history of conditons.  Whilst it's acknowledge you have a diagnosed MH condition and are receiving specilist input there is no evidence available to support overwhlming psychological distress.  Overwhelming psychological distress means distress related to an enduring MH condition or cognitive impairment which results in a severe anxiety state in which symtoms are so severe that the person is unable to function. The threshold is very high and I have decided you do not meet it. It is noted you have OCD rituals which means that you have difficulty in completeing some of the daily activities in a timely manner.
    ............
    The assessors report is an impartial assessment based on the clinical findings and observations of someone trained in assessing the effects of disability."

    So today we filled in the online appeal form.  We have contested all the points except budgeting decsions and moving around.  We have uploaded evidence:
    • DSA assessment report (disabled student assessment)
    • Therapists letters (2 different therapists one when she was in uni and current one)
    • Email from previous employer where he said he had put her on a new probationary period due to her mental health issues
    • GP letter 
    Again they ignore the fact she had to take both myself and her partner with her to the assessment as she relies on us both greatly for support, espeically in case she has a panic attack.

    Hope you are all keeping well during this current pandemic.  My husband is shielding as he had letter from Welsh Govt. instructing him to do so.  Sadly he has lost his sibling to Covid19 last week.    She had underlying health conditions and had been shileding but with carers coming in multiple times a day she was obviously exposed.

    My daughter rarely ventures out of the house aside from the garden or to sit in car with her partner while he goes to the shop.  She is struggling and now is refusing to use her mobile phone aside from when she's in bed (she thinks it's contaminated and can't move it from her bedside table).  We are also in the position that if we accidently touch her she tries to force us to wash our hands!!  I had this 15 minutes ago but I've refused to now and I'm hoping she's forgotten.  I'm not being mean refusing but I try not to feed her OCD by accommodating her requests.


  • Chloe_Scope
    Chloe_Scope Posts: 10,586 Disability Gamechanger
    Hi @griff11, I appreciate that with the current situation it might take a bit longer to hear anything back.

    How are things during lockdown at the moment for you and your family?
    Scope

  • griff11
    griff11 Community member Posts: 127 Pioneering
    Hi @Chloe_Scope  I've had a letter from Tribunal asking inviting us to submit further evidence like a letter from me detailing how her condition affects her.  I've only just finished letter today as I became quite upset the first couple of attempts as seeing it in writing is grim.  I did the letter giving a bit of background of how it escalated, how we interact with her i.e support, reassurance (worse thing ever for OCD), the treatment we had helped her source both NHS & Private and reasons why and then a typical day.  I referenced in the supporting documentation she had supplied at appeal. The letter states the DWP have to respond by 16th June and they should supply me with details of their response. I've seen nothing yet.   Is there a timescale from this as to when the appeal will be held.  I assume it will be a telephone appeal if we are still in lockdown?

    At home we re still rubbing along!  4 adults, 2 working from home and as we are in Wales still more restricted with lockdown.  We don't/can't venture out much.  My hubby has had updated shielding letter from Welsh Govt. telling him to shield until August.  I've had to buy masks, which I really didn't want to do as this all affects my daughter's contamination OCD, but we might have compulsory situations as lockdown eases.  I've explained to my daughter it's just precautionary to try not to panic her and they are disposable.

    Hope all is well with you.
  • definitelymaybe
    definitelymaybe Community member Posts: 2 Listener
    hi griff11 i'm new here, hope  your daughter is doing well. Is there a way we could PM each other on here? :) 
  • griff11
    griff11 Community member Posts: 127 Pioneering
    I've sent you a private message.  First time I've tried, hope it reaches you.
  • Chloe_Scope
    Chloe_Scope Posts: 10,586 Disability Gamechanger
    Hi, just wanted to let you know that PM's are not moderated by our team. If you receive something that you are not happy with then please do email us at community@scope..org.uk.
    Scope

  • definitelymaybe
    definitelymaybe Community member Posts: 2 Listener
    griff11 said:
    I've sent you a private message.  First time I've tried, hope it reaches you.
    thank you i've finally got round to replying! 
  • griff11
    griff11 Community member Posts: 127 Pioneering
    Received a text 30th June to say DWP had responded and we should get a copy - nothing yet.  Same text said hearing could be months away.  

  • Chloe_Scope
    Chloe_Scope Posts: 10,586 Disability Gamechanger
    Fingers crossed it's not much longer @griff11
    Scope

  • griff11
    griff11 Community member Posts: 127 Pioneering
    Still waiting for date for appeal hearing!
  • poppy123456
    poppy123456 Community member Posts: 53,359 Disability Gamechanger
    edited August 2020
    griff11 said:
    Still waiting for date for appeal hearing!

    I think the average wait now is about 32 weeks, from the time you request the appeal.

    Face to face hearings are suspended still, so it could be a telephone hearing that she has. The best evidence that she can send is anecdotal evidence, just a couple of recent examples of what happened the last time she attempted that activity for each descriptor that applies to her.
    I would appreciate it if members wouldn't tag me please. I have all notifcations turned off and wouldn't want a member thinking i'm being rude by not replying.
    If i see a question that i know the answer to i will try my best to help.
  • cupcake88
    cupcake88 Posts: 1,273 Pioneering
    Hello there I just read back your post . I have ocd as one of my mental illness mine is based on keeping safe and checking every thing is safe in the house . I do not work I have had Periods of my life when I would work But hardly go in and hardly be able to focus so I understand . You can work and claim pip as far as I know so your daughter having a job shouldn’t of affected the pip decision .

    i really hope your daughter does get pip she sounds like she certainly deserves it I know how much ocd can take over your life .

    i had a phone assessment and I really made no sense that day so I doubt I’ll get pip but I hope I do . 

    So in the MR your only 2 points off from getting pip so fingers crossed your daughter will be heard by the tribunal . Please keep us updated and really best of luck  
  • griff11
    griff11 Community member Posts: 127 Pioneering
    @Username_removed from DWP reasons for their decisions it's based on fact ages of normal build (she's a size 10/12) !  

    @cupcake88 sorry to hear you also struggling with OCD and hope you have successful outcome from your assessment. 

    @p@poppy123456 I Hope I've done this by setting out a typical day and where the issues are .  Trouble is with OCD it constantly evolves .  So she's eased up on drowning the taps in kitchen where are washes her hands (kitchen feels safe washing zone to her so she does her teeth there too) but the accidental touching of her eg brushing past her has escalated.  Her mood has also got much lower and she just cried all day Friday because she felt so bad.  

    I also tried not ordering her medication for her - it's online and monthly reminder in her phone ( but that's often not used during day as too dirty to bring downstairs ). so for 2 months on  trot she's run out !  I'm doing it to try to force her to focus on the need to reorder and reduce her relying on myself or her partner for this!  
  • griff11
    griff11 Community member Posts: 127 Pioneering
    Just to update you she is still waiting for an appeal date.  

    On a positive note her work contract has been extended.  The full time working from home due to Covid has helped with her meeting her work committments and her employer knows about her OCD and are supportive so if she says she having a panic attack and needs to shower or just take some time to calm down they are happy for her to do so.  This has lifted her mood so much as her previous employer constantly criticised her for her Mental Health.  She now wishes she had gone for constructive dismissal when she resigned last year due to the Directors behaviour but she wasn't well enough to do so and the time limit is so short.

    She doesn't leave the house much unfortunately but is taking some vitamin supplements to help with her stomach issues she's just become so reliant on her partner to check each day she's taking her medication and me to order it!  I again tried not doing it and she had to "borrow" from Pharmacy as she'd run out and it takes 2 days to get prescription from GP.

    She's also trying to get a referral for a long standing middle ear issue.  She's had antibotics for repeated infections for over 2 years and had a nasty episode of vertigo where she was vomitting and severe head pain after bending head forward.  We might have to go down private route as it's proving challenging with NHS.  She uses a otovent daily to try to relieve pressure in ear which helps.

    Her OCD is still dominating her life.    A funny thing happened when she went away for a weekend with her fiance.  She refused to use hair dryer in cottage as she thought it was dirty.  So she sent him off around this remote village to buy a hairdryer!!    He was gone almost 2 hours searching for one by which time her panic attack had subsided and she decided to just use her antibac wipes that she takes everywhere with her to clean the dirty hair dryer.  So he returned with a new (and **** apparently) hair dryer and she's sitting there with dry hair!!  The man has the patience of a saint!  p.s. in case you are wondering why he didn't just wipe the hairdryer for her, it's because intially her panic attacks make her very angry and she's disassociates and is  unresponsive to any input plus therapists have also told us we must stop trying to "save" her by offering a solution.  This only feeds OCD.
  • Chloe_Scope
    Chloe_Scope Posts: 10,586 Disability Gamechanger
    Hi @griff11, thank you for taking the time to update us. I'm glad lockdown has helped her with work and that they have been a lot more understanding. Although I imagine it hasn't been easy.

    How have you been? :)
    Scope

  • griff11
    griff11 Community member Posts: 127 Pioneering
    @Chloe_Scope I'm good.  Keeping busy doing nothing as I'm retired and my husband was shielding till mid August so limited going out and about .  My volunteering keeps my mind active though .  Hope all well with you 
  • Chloe_Scope
    Chloe_Scope Posts: 10,586 Disability Gamechanger
    Glad to hear that @griff11. :)

    The community is always here if you want a natter!
    Scope

  • Comicmadtitan
    Comicmadtitan Community member Posts: 67 Courageous
    Hey @griff11! I want to say I know what your daughter is going through but each of us are unique in terms of our mental health and how it affects us. But I too suffer with varying types of OCD including contamination OCD so I know how debilitating it can be, I really hope things go okay for her and the rest of you, and if you need to ask me for any insight into OCD and whatnot, don't hesitate to ask! 
  • griff11
    griff11 Community member Posts: 127 Pioneering
    @Comicmadtitan
    Thank you for your offer of support 
  • griff11
    griff11 Community member Posts: 127 Pioneering
    I had a phone call today from DWP who were reviewing the case before appeal and they wanted to clarify a few points  and they have changed the award to enhanced rate for both daily living and mobility.  She has to clarify for how long the award is but she thinks 2 years and a letter will be sent out confirming.  Daughter is so happy that she's believed.  My letter setting out a typcial day was described as very powerful!!  

Brightness

Do you need advice on your energy costs?


Scope’s Disability Energy Support service is open to any disabled household in England or Wales in which one or more disabled people live. You can get free advice from an expert adviser on managing energy debt, switching tariffs, contacting your supplier and more. Find out more information by visiting our
Disability Energy Support webpage.