Forum Users with Bi Polar - Benefits advice

Hello, sorri i didn,t know which section to post in. Does anybody know if you can claim benefits for bi polar and what are they please. I have had it 20 years and never claimed a thing. cos i never was told anything. Thanks.

I'm not sure if there are any specific benefits for those with mental health difficulties, over and above benefits for those with physical health difficulties....

I'll pop a link up so you can have a look at the ones which you think you maybe entitled to.

https://www.gov.uk/browse/benefits/disability

I do know that the CAB are pretty adept at dealing with these kinds of enquiries. The mental health organisation Mind have some information which maybe of help:

https://www.mind.org.uk/about-us/our-policy-work/benefits/where-you-can-find-help/

Good luck.

Bipolar is a serious condition, & hope that you get all the help you're entitled to.

EDIT - also try in the 'special interests' section of Sheffield Forum. There are plenty of knowledgeable folk who post there who are expert in this area....

I'm not sure if there are any specific benefits for those with mental health difficulties, over and above benefits for those with physical health difficulties....

I'll pop a link up so you can have a look at the ones which you think you maybe entitled to.

https://www.gov.uk/browse/benefits/disability

 

I do know that the CAB are pretty adept at dealing with these kinds of enquiries. The mental health organisation Mind have some information which maybe of help:

https://www.mind.org.uk/about-us/our-policy-work/benefits/where-you-can-find-help/

Good luck.

Bipolar is a serious condition, & hope that you get all the help you're entitled to.

Agree with all that . Good luck to you

Hello, Are there any uforum users who have been diagnosed with Bi Polar?If u have any tips on claiming Benefits etc, please share. Thanks.

Benefits are not awarded for a certain condition. There are two separate varieties of disability benefits, those awarded because your condition prevents you from taking a paid job and those awarded because of how your condition affects your ability to live independently.

I'm sure that there are those with well managed bipolar who maintain their paid work and don't need any help with the basics of food, washing and the like. Equally there are those who are so badly affected that there is no question that they are no longer capable of taking a job and they need assistance several times a day, or even in patient treatment for long periods for their condition.

I don't have bipolar, but I do struggle with depression secondary to a whole load of degenerative medical issues that are worsening with time and I understand that what is apparent to others may not be what is actually happening in your life.

When you ring up for the forms you will only have 3 weeks to get them filled in and returned, so my advice would be to get your doctors on board with supplying letters of evidence before you ring up, along with booking an appointment with the CAB or similar to help you fill in the forms.

The forms want to know in the most detailed way possible exactly how your condition affects you. They don't want to know, for instance, that it hurts to stand, they want to know that getting from lying to sitting pulls in one place and causes pain in that joint, then getting from sitting to standing hurts here (to use a physical description relevant to me, rather than you). The detail is what makes the difference in a claim, between someone just writing words and someone who can actually describe in detail what happens.

Ignore the size of box that is available for each answer- write an essay for each question if that's what explains your symptoms fully, you can always continue on another piece of paper.

Give it them with both barrels- they won't know the worst of how it is unless you explain it to them. Remember that they aren't interested in the name of your condition, they're interested in how it affects you on a daily basis, so tell them, in detail how and why it stops you from being able to do things.

Get help- I would only advise someone to fill in the forms by themselves if they had a history of filling them out completely. I know what things they are looking for and have got first DLA then ESA and PIP for a whole selection of friends.

Don't expect the DWP to actually contact any medical professional to ask for evidence- they say they will but none of the ones I've ever put down have been contacted in the last 20 years. Get the evidence from your doctors and include it, then they can have no case to say that they didn't have sufficient evidence.

Make sure that EVERY detail contained in your forms is correct before they are sent in. Anything that contradicts other statements WILL be used against you at assessment or appeal.

Take photocopies of everything that is sent in, along with names and dates of anybody you speak to, and take someone appropriate along with you to any appointments, so that it will never come down to a 'he said, she said' situation. Consider finding a way to record any meetings, if that is legal for them. Check with the DWP regulations to determine what is necessary in terms of equipment to satisfy their regulations.

The PIP forms are now an awful lot better than the DLA forms were for people with mental health issues. Take the time to go into your difficulties in enough detail to paint an assessor a proper picture of what is happening, including all of the other people who support you, open your mail, help you manage your finances, help you to get out and about when you're not well, help you to keep food in the fridge and feed yourself with nutritious food and help you with basic things like scheduling and carrying out housework, laundry and self-care.

All together, take this as a large project to be managed and commit yourself to it like you would to anything else that holds your financial independence in its grip.

Good luck

Dear Medusa, Thank u so much for taking the time and effort to answer my post as I am in under alot of stress with bi polar and now will get CAB to help me fill in forms.I have never made a claim for bi polar even though i have suffered from it for 20 years.Once again, thanks.xx

Benefits are not awarded for a certain condition. There are two separate varieties of disability benefits, those awarded because your condition prevents you from taking a paid job and those awarded because of how your condition affects your ability to live independently.

 

I'm sure that there are those with well managed bipolar who maintain their paid work and don't need any help with the basics of food, washing and the like. Equally there are those who are so badly affected that there is no question that they are no longer capable of taking a job and they need assistance several times a day, or even in patient treatment for long periods for their condition.

 

I don't have bipolar, but I do struggle with depression secondary to a whole load of degenerative medical issues that are worsening with time and I understand that what is apparent to others may not be what is actually happening in your life.

 

When you ring up for the forms you will only have 3 weeks to get them filled in and returned, so my advice would be to get your doctors on board with supplying letters of evidence before you ring up, along with booking an appointment with the CAB or similar to help you fill in the forms.

 

The forms want to know in the most detailed way possible exactly how your condition affects you. They don't want to know, for instance, that it hurts to stand, they want to know that getting from lying to sitting pulls in one place and causes pain in that joint, then getting from sitting to standing hurts here (to use a physical description relevant to me, rather than you). The detail is what makes the difference in a claim, between someone just writing words and someone who can actually describe in detail what happens.

 

Ignore the size of box that is available for each answer- write an essay for each question if that's what explains your symptoms fully, you can always continue on another piece of paper.

 

Give it them with both barrels- they won't know the worst of how it is unless you explain it to them. Remember that they aren't interested in the name of your condition, they're interested in how it affects you on a daily basis, so tell them, in detail how and why it stops you from being able to do things.

 

Get help- I would only advise someone to fill in the forms by themselves if they had a history of filling them out completely. I know what things they are looking for and have got first DLA then ESA and PIP for a whole selection of friends.

 

Don't expect the DWP to actually contact any medical professional to ask for evidence- they say they will but none of the ones I've ever put down have been contacted in the last 20 years. Get the evidence from your doctors and include it, then they can have no case to say that they didn't have sufficient evidence.

 

Make sure that EVERY detail contained in your forms is correct before they are sent in. Anything that contradicts other statements WILL be used against you at assessment or appeal.

 

Take photocopies of everything that is sent in, along with names and dates of anybody you speak to, and take someone appropriate along with you to any appointments, so that it will never come down to a 'he said, she said' situation. Consider finding a way to record any meetings, if that is legal for them. Check with the DWP regulations to determine what is necessary in terms of equipment to satisfy their regulations.

 

The PIP forms are now an awful lot better than the DLA forms were for people with mental health issues. Take the time to go into your difficulties in enough detail to paint an assessor a proper picture of what is happening, including all of the other people who support you, open your mail, help you manage your finances, help you to get out and about when you're not well, help you to keep food in the fridge and feed yourself with nutritious food and help you with basic things like scheduling and carrying out housework, laundry and self-care.

 

All together, take this as a large project to be managed and commit yourself to it like you would to anything else that holds your financial independence in its grip.

 

Good luck

Great advice here, I would point out that the three weeks begins from the DATE ON THE LETTER, not when you receive it ( my letter took 10 days to reach me, so I had 10 days less to fill it in). Good luck