In 2023, there were 53,594 PIP claimants with bipolar disorder listed as their main disabling condition. This makes it the thirteenth most common condition to get an award of PIP for out of over 500 conditions listed by the DWP.
So, if you have bipolar disorder and it affects your daily living activities, such as cooking, washing, dressing or mixing with other people or your ability to get around, you should definitely consider making a claim.
Success rates
The success rate for PIP claims for bipolar disorder is 61%, compared to an overall average of 53%. So you have a better than average chance of getting an award for bipolar disorder.
Award rates
26% of PIP claimants with bipolar disorder, get the enhanced rate of both the daily living and the mobility component.
Daily living awards
Enhanced daily living 59%
Standard daily living 40%
No daily living 1%
Mobility awards
Enhanced mobility 30%
Standard mobility 29%
No mobility 41%
99% of claimants with bipolar disorder who get an award get the daily living component, compared to 59% who get the mobility component.
Age range
The ages of those currently in receipt of PIP for bipolar disorder are:
- 16-29 years 8%
- 30-49 years 45%
- 50-64 years 37%
- 65 and over 10%
PIP rates
The rates of PIP from April 2024 are:
Daily Living component
Standard rate: £72.65
Enhanced rate: £108.55
Mobility component
Standard rate: £28.70
Enhanced rate: £75.75
So, an award of the enhanced rate of PIP for both components means an extra £184.30 a week.
PIP is paid on top of almost every other benefit and may lead to an increase in some benefits or entitlement to additional benefits.
The enhanced rate of the mobility component also gives access to the Motability scheme.
Learn more or take the test
You can read more about claiming PIP for bipolar disorder or take our simple online test now to find out if you might be able to make a claim for PIP.
How you qualify for PIP
This information applies to England, Wales and Northern Ireland – Scotland has a separate system. You need to be aged at least 18 before you can receive PIP and you need to start your claim before you reach state pension age.
The best way to decide whether you might be eligible for PIP is to look through this list of PIP activities and think about the ways that your condition affects your ability to carry them out. You are awarded points according to the level of difficulty you have with each of these activities, with sufficient points leading to an award of PIP.
Daily living activities
There are 10 daily living activities:
- Preparing food
- Taking nutrition
- Managing therapy or monitoring a health condition
- Washing and bathing
- Managing toilet needs or incontinence
- Dressing and undressing
- Communicating verbally
- Reading and understanding signs, symbols and words
- Engaging with other people face-to-face
- Making budgeting decisions
Mobility activities
There are two mobility activities:
- Planning and following journeys
- Moving around
Remember that you need to be able to complete the activities
- to a reasonable standard,
- safely,
- repeatedly
- taking no more than twice as long as it would take a person without a health condition.
PIP points for bipolar disorder
Below are some examples of the issues that you might have because of bipolar disorder that may lead to PIP points. Do remember, that if you have other conditions, you can take those into account too.
You may need prompting to cook a meal because of fatigue and loss of interest in caring for yourself during depressive episodes.
During manic episode you may be too easily distracted to cook a meal without supervision.
You may experience a loss of appetite or be unable to motivate yourself to eat during depressive episodes, leading to marked weight loss unless someone prompts you to eat.
You may decide not to take your medication during manic episodes because you believe you no longer need to.
During depressive periods you may have difficulty remembering to take your medication and so need prompting or to use an aid, such as a dosette box.
You may be too distracted to remember to wash and bathe or you may not be able to motivate yourself to do so, and so require prompting or supervision.
During depressive episodes you may experience feelings of worthlessness that make it very hard for you to mix with other people without either prompting or social support.
During manic episodes you may make rash decisions about how to manage your money.
During manic episodes you may dress inappropriately, whilst in depressives phases you may not ensure that you are wearing clean clothes or you may sleep in your clothes. So you may need prompting or assistance in connection with dressing and undressing.
During depressive episodes you may experience feelings of worthlessness that make it very hard for you to mix with other people without either prompting or social support. You may also experience delusions or paranoia which make mixing with other people to frightening without support.
You may find the thought of following a journey causes overwhelming anxiety so that you need encouragement to set out. Or you may experience panic attacks on unfamiliar routes which mean that you need someone with you to help you complete your journey safely.
How to claim PIP
Claiming PIP isn't easy. And getting the correct award is even harder.
But there are things you can do to greatly increase your chances of getting the right result.
One of them is to use our highly detailed, step-by-step Guide to PIP claims and reviews, which will support you through every stage of the system.
Because filling in the 37 page PIP2 ‘How your disability affects you’ form in as much detail as possible is vital.
It not only means you are giving accurate and consistent evidence from the outset, it also improves your chances of overturning an unfair decision if you have to go to appeal.
Our guide takes you through the PIP2 form, box-by-box, explaining the kind of information you need to put in each one.
Being fully prepared for an assessment is vital too. Knowing what questions you are likely to be asked and what unspoken assumptions may be made based on your answers, unless you deal with them, can make all the difference. Our guide will ensure you are as ready as you possibly can be.
And because we’ve been supporting claimants for 20 years and have a community of thousands of members who keep us updated with their experiences, we can make sure you are prepared for any unfair tactics the DWP might employ.
And we have guides to every other part of your PIP claim too, from mandatory reconsideration, to appeal to review. Plus a forum where you can ask questions, regular news items and more.
So, whether you’ve tried claiming PIP before and been unsuccessful, or you’ve never had any experience of the benefits system, join the Benefits and Work community to give yourself the best possible chance of getting the right award.
Even if you are not ready to subscribe to the site yet, you can download our guide to ‘The First Steps To PIP Success’ for free and also join the 120,000 people who subscribe to our free fortnightly newsletter.
Finally, if you have claimed PIP for bipolar disorder, please share your experience - good or bad - with readers in the comments section below.