Mental health - medical evidence - ESA

Hi,

I read on here something that has been troubling me. After a year in the support group I have just submitted my ESA50.

I read on this site that decision makers and the tribunal service discount any evidence they feel is based on 'the claimant putting words in the doctor's mouth' i.e any letter which says 'so and so tells me he is having a problem it this'.

With my ESA50 I enclosed four letters from my most recent psychiatric consultations. Although clearly on the top of each letter it states my diagnoses and my medication, the whole consultation is based on subjective evidence. There are no test results or anything like that. The psychiatrist asks me about my sleeping, appetite, panic attacks, response to medication etc etc. She does refer in one paragraph to how I appear at consultation i.e 'she had poor eye contact, was very anxious...' etc etc.

If they take me out of the support group, I wonder now if it is worth going to appeal because my psychiatrist letters are the only evidence I have and as I say, they refer largely to what I tell her.

thanks,

mel

I suspect that mental health problems are slightly different as the psychiatrist has to depend on being told how you feel. With physical health there is more of a difference between 'the patient says he cannot bend further than the knee' and 'the patient cannot bend further than the knee'(for instance).


Whatever the reason, your psychiatrist's report was accepted last time so we can hope that it will be the same next time.