Are the DWP and government trying to kill us all off?

I went through hell on Earth back in February when I got the dreaded benefit review letter... it was about 3 months of total stress which involved a Work Capability assessment too, the most horrible stressful time ever out of it all.

However this was before I was diagnosed with Aspergers, and my whole benefit rested purely on my OCD and social anxiety.

But the assessor was quite nice and could see I was distressed and it all worked out.. but it was still a horrible time.

I thought that maybe if I got a diagnosis for ASD then all this benefit stuff might become easier, and that I may even be able to claim PIP and my wife would be able to claim carers allowance too.

Now I have a diagnosis of ASD I’m not so sure... and I’m scared of going to claim PIP because this would involve another work assessment which terrifies me!

its not easy is it!

I do sympathise with you... I really do!

Thanks

Ade

Sorry to hear that. I'm lucky not to have ever had a Work Capability Assessment but do know second-hand how stressful it can be to have your livelihood depend on the whims of bureaucracy.

Back in 2012, Rethink commissioned a poll of 1000 GPs: 84% said they have patients who have developed mental health problems due to the WCA; 21% said they have patients who had suicidal thoughts as a result of undergoing, or fear of undergoing, the WCA; 14% had patients who has self-harmed as a result; 6% of GPs have patients who have attempted or committed suicide as a result.

This is supported by Barr et al (2015), "‘First, do no harm’: are disability assessments associated with adverse trends in mental health? A longitudinal ecological study." which suggests a figure equivalent to 27% of those assessed in 2013 developed mental health problems - I found the strength of evidence from proper epidemiologists there pretty startling. Also a 2017 study reported 'discrimination is built into the WCA' and suggested the mental health problems were long-term.  The process can be harder to navigate for autistic people, and of course they have an increased risk of suicide anyway.

So why does such a harmful policy persist? Is it because people can't think of anything better to judge need and think it is reformable? Is it the difficulty in altering the contracts with the providers?

Are they trying to kill us all off? It's a valid question. I don't think it's so deliberate. However, there are a minority of influential people who are complacent about rising health inequality, and either justify to themselves that disability is self inflicted, or have some unspoken delusion about suicide and mental health problems being 'natural selection at work'. If those types of views were challenged more openly, would things change?

Speaking of small groups of committed citizens: DPAC https://dpac.uk.net/ ?

I find it to be extremely stressful to have my livelihood depend on the whims of bureaucracy.

I find it to be extremely stressful to have my livelihood depend on the whims of bureaucracy.