anyone get dissability benefits for sa etc

Hi all,

I am just wondering if anyone else receives dissability benefits for depression and anxiety and how difficult or easy was it for you to claim this benefit.

[Medea]

I do. I get incapacity benefit and disability living allowance. Lots of forms and appeals and headaches.

[pob]

I used to. Morally it made me feel much worse, I had to keep going to the doctors for doctors notes, and it was just underlining the fact i had a problem.

A lot of friends and family thought i was just being lazy. if i had a broken leg or something physical, it would have been alright with them, but people dont tend to accept mental problems as easily. everytime i met them the first thing they would ask is 'got a job yet?' and after a while that brings you down a lot. I found i was avoiding social situations more, just for fear of that one question.

I felt better in myself when i came off the benefits and started looking for work.

I know what you mean, when I had to go for a medical at the benefits centre to prove I was unwell so I could claim income support it was bloody awful having to talk to a doctor who I hadn't met before and I felt like he was trying to catch me out or something, I didn't get enough points the first time and I had to claim jobseekers and there was no way that I was fit for work but I did try to find a job and then sometime after that I went back on the sick got sent for another medical was convinced that I would not pass it because I had the same problem but I passed it this time, don't figure, I just don't understand the system.

I agree with you pob

It's very hard to try and prove you are i'll to people if you have some kind of mental problem.It's so unpredictable as well.You could
be ok one day but the next you can't go outside People think
if you're not physically disabled then there's nothing wrong with you

Last week I got a 3 month medical certificate from the Doctors to go and claim Incapacity benefit.
I couldn't get myself to go forward with it in the end.I claim Jobseekers as the moment,the money is the same(hardly anything) and IB seems just as much hassle + I would of had to fill in a load more forms.
You still have to go for regular reviews at the Job centre and keep going back to the Doctors to get another certificate.

If I wasn't already on Jobseekers I would of gone for IB instead though.

I've been on Incapacity benefit for a long time. At first I used to have to get sick notes from the doctor every 8 weeks but now I don't have to anymore.
They send you for a medical every few years but I've never had a problem with it.

[MidWalian]

I do get Incapacity Benefit and Disability Living Allowance. Not just for SA as such, but for chronic anxiety.

Getting Incapacity Benefit wasn't that difficult in one way (not loads of forms etc.) but it did make me feel really bad at the time that I may have to go on it and I got worse for a while. I've been on it for a good while now - although I did lose it recently for a while after my medical (naff doctor) but successfully appealed and now have it back.

As for DLA, I get some.. but the forms are horrible. Very in depth and I had to get my partner to help fill them in on my behalf and for a week or so I was in high anxiety mode and had some panic attacks. I don't get much DLA, but it does help.

For my benefits I did need doctors notes, and I got them every month for a while and eventually every six months or so. These days I no longer need a note from the doctor, and guessing it is the occassional medical instead.

Incapacity Benefit will be changing over the next couple of years and could be much harder to get in the near future. I try and not think about that otherwise I become a quivering wreck - seriously.

Hope this info has helped.

[pdjkeelan]

I was on JSA for 2 years as soon as i'd left college, however going to interviews etc resulted in panic attacks that I ignored until it started to have really significant effects and JSA forcibly sent me on a course that was to last for 3 months and on the first 2 days i had huge panic attacks and had to run out of the room on the 2nd day. Now i'm on incapacity benefit and have been for almost 18 months now. At first i had to get sick notes from Doctor every 1-2 months but after 6 months that stopped and i was called for a medical assessment at the benefits agency, scary process considering they have it in the centre of Manchester which of course resulted in me having a panic attack because Manchester was packed full of people. However after the medical assessment i was put onto incapacity for a further 18months and will likely be asked to attend a new assessment in June or July next year.

I wasn't aware SA entitled me to disability living allowance i thought i'd only be entitled to incapacity benefit, i will have to look into that because it would come in really handy.

[nemesis20]

Originally Posted by Ray

I fear that if I was to go 'on the sick', I'd be absolutely fucked. While I would be cosily protecting myself from the stress of having to look for a job, for me it would be like the ultimate resignation.

I totally agree with you there. Work is a touchy subject for SA people, and of course people have different perceptions of what they can and can't do, but I even if you beleive there must be at least something you can do, it's better than the downward spiral of the benefits system - both financially and mentally crippling.

[pob]

Originally Posted by nemesis20

I totally agree with you there. Work is a touchy subject for SA people, and of course people have different perceptions of what they can and can't do, but I even if you beleive there must be at least something you can do, it's better than the downward spiral of the benefits system - both financially and mentally crippling.

I must admit, back in the day when i didnt know my condition had a name, the thought of going on benefit wouldnt have even entered my head. i thought i was just a bit more shy than most. i knew work would be difficult, but i just had to accept it and get on with it.