Hi Murfy,

Thanks for sharing, just want to wish you the best of luck for tomorrow, all you can do is your best, i think with MH problems it is sometime's difficult to explain how you cope /deal with day to day life, and people can say "oh you look fine", where in reality coping with day to day life is sometimes so difficult, even trying to complete the most simple tasks can be so daunting, take care.

Best wishes x

Hi,

Thanks very much. I'll let you know how it went when I get back.

If you ring up the number of the assessment centre to request a home visit like I did, do be careful what you say because I could hear the woman on the end of the phone typing my responses into her computer. She asked how I go to the doctors, it felt like I was under interrogation then and there. Anyhow, I was denied, but I just thought I'd mention it.

RE: the assessment,

I just thought I'd write a few words on how the assessment went in case you end up going to Hadrian House in Newcastle.

We parked around the corner on Durant Rd- parking was £3 for 1.5hrs which it says on the form you get they will cover as well as 25p per mile if you're driving.

I brought my mam with me and at the desk, I asked the receptionist if there any delays. She gave me a funny look and said 'no, why?' my mam said I didn't like waiting, so she went into another room to check and I got seen straight away. No waiting around at all.

The room was large and the man was sitting at a desk in front of a computer with two other chairs in front of him. There was also a bed/table thing that you see in the doctors in the room too.

He was very pleasant and soft-spoken, and the assessment took only 25 mins. I'm not sure if that's a good thing or not. I don't have any physical problems so I didn't have to do any of the touch your toes, raise your arms up or things like that.

I was asked how I got there, the medication I take, if I had any hobbies, if I read at all, I said yes, he said what type. He asked if I could drive. Do I have friends? How are you with money. The rest was just going through the questions on your form. At the end he asked if I had anythign else to add. The whole time he was typing away, just looking up to ask me the question.

Now that I'm thinking back on it, I could have answered the questions better - elaborated more. But I can't change that now. It's easy to give yes/no answers when the assessor doesn't prompt you very much to keep talking. So when I was asked if I could drive me and my mam both said no. Rather than saying "No I can't drive. I've taken over 50 hours but because of my dyslexia it just doesn't sink it, I find it really hard to concentrate on more than one thing at a time" That's what I should have said.

Got my ESA assessment next - no date yet.

Fingers crossed you get a nice assessor too.

Hi Murfy,

Thank's so much for the information regarding your f2f, i hope you have relaxed over the weekend after your assesment, i am not sure if my hubby who also has sustained MH problems will manage a f2f, so that will be my next hurdle to get over once we here from PIP, i am going to ask for a paper based review as with my hubby's current mind set i think it would cause him extreme anxiety and he would become very aggitated and has already said to me he is not going!. luckily your mam was with you, and yes in hindsight maybe you could have elaborated more, we are all troubled with after thought, but at least it is done and hopefully you will get a positive result, quickly, thanks again for sharing and take care of yourself, good luck with ESA also, will keep you posted on hubby.

Best Wishes x

I didn't know you could ask for a paper-based review. I thought that was only for a tribunal. When I asked for a home assessment, the person on the end of the phone said it was only for the housebound. Even though I have agoraphobia and have only left my house a few times this year to visit my therapist because I could do that it meant that I wasn't able to get a home visit. So you may need to get a GP letter to say you need one.

I had my eyes shut the whole way in the car and listened to hypnotherapy on my iPod (Overcoming Anxiety & Panic Attacks by Mark Bowden). I'm glad it was over but I just had to think it's 2 hours out of my day, yes I'll be anxious and uncomfortable, but I could potentially gain £22+ a week, so it's worth it in the long run. I put off claiming anything for 14 years because I was too scared to visit the GP or go for assessments so I know how your hubby feels. Maybe you could ask his doctors for a mild sedative to get him there? It would be in his favour for the examiner to see how anxious he is.

All the best, x

Hi Murfy,

I am not sure if we can get a paper based review, and maybe Gordon and Mrs HB with their extensive knowledge could advise us what the chances are, bearing in mind i think he would totally loose it if he was put in front of an asesor, i think i mentioned earlier our doctor's surgery has stopped doing letter's for the DWP, so may be it is a no win situation, as i honestly don't think my hubby would get to the PIP asssesment, he does take prescribed medication to calm him down he now has physical problems also.

You did so well getting to your assesment Murfy and i wish you all the best, as it has been said so many times on this forum, it it so sad that the vulnerable are put through all of this anquish and heartache.

Keep in toch.

Best Wishes xx