Key Points for Supporting Docs from GP & CMHN

In terms of these descriptors:

15. Going out and 16. Coping with social situations

I'm on a CPA with reviews with a CPN as care coordinator and I also attend a group aimed at very isolated patients. My attendance is erratic, but will the fact I attend at all, especially the group, despite it all being treatment, go against me when it comes to picking up points?

Here's the gist of what my GP wrote in the supporting letter:

"Mr X suffers chronic ill health, and is under the specialist Mental Health Team who he engages with regularly, although his attendance can be difficult due to his extreme social anxiety ... he suffers with anxiety, depression, agoraphobia and anxious personality disorder ... actively suicidal"

She then lists my meds. When I read this I felt even more desperate, because it doesn't feel sufficient. On top of that my clinical psychologist AND care coordinator are away sick, so I'm very anxious about collecting letters from them on time.

In the opinion of the advisers on this forum, will the above letter help my case in any way? Or is it way too general and brief? She did say to tell her if more details are required. What should I ask her to add?

So, a dreaded brown envelope arrived today... and to my immense relief I have been placed in the Support Group without having to go through a face-to-face assessment. Huge thanks to Gordon, BIS and Gary for responding on my thread and to everyone that writes the guides, provides advice on this forum and keeps this site running. It has been invaluable to me and I'm sure many, many others.

My next step, considering that there is no breakdown of the decision or any prognosis on the letter, is to request an ESA85A, I believe (since there was no face-to-face). I don't use the phone, so the only address on the letter is a post handling site in Wolverhampton, but it does have Merthyr Tydfil BSC as the first line of the address, so I'm assuming they handled the decision.

I have a couple of questions regarding the request:

1) Are there any forms other than the ESA85A that I should request in order to get a full explanation of both the decision (where the points were scored, if exceptional circumstances were involved etc) and the prognosis date?

2) Are there any risks in requesting these forms such as the act of me writing in itself being taken as evidence of capability that might trigger a revision of this current decision or get taken into account when the next WCA comes around?

3) Is there any specific wording I should use or info other than name, DOB, address, NI number, the date of the decision letter in the request I make?

I know the second question is a bit silly, but I suffer from anxiety and my mind will always find something to worry about!

Many thanks, once more, to all of you good people giving your time to help us!