Applying for PIP support

Sorry I didn't read your OP properly before I wrote my reply.

Yes you should absolutely bother to write how it affects you even if you did have a ton of evidence (though you might have more evidence than you think).

Applying for PIP is an extremely legalistic process and writing how it affects you is where you translate your real world experiences into the legalistic framework that PIP is assessed by. It is highly recommended that you get some actual legal help to fill out the form. Yes this sounds crazy because it is crazy. There are specialist charities who help to fill out the form based on caselaw. It cost me around £120, I was lucky to have access to this money upfront without borrowing it, it's a couple of week's worth of PIP payment to save yourself excess stress and trauma, it minimises your chance of going to appeal.

But I don't feel comfortable pushing something that costs you money. Just understand that writing how it affects you is essential and it is a legalistic process. If you have the mind for it you can research the way that PIP is assessed, it is highly structured. It's like an alternate reality. There is no limit to how much you can write, you can write a whole separate document and send it with the application form as long as you write something like "see additional pages" in each box.

You can call for a deadline extension. The limit seems to be around 3 extensions.

You can also keep a PIP diary where you write how it affects you each day and add this as evidence. Be aware that you need to prove that you are affected at least 50% of the days. So don't send in a 10 day PIP diary if you were really struggling for 6 days but wrote "fine" for 4 days.

When you write about how it affects you imagine yourself of your very worst days, of course to be actually filling out the form at all you need to be kind of functional, so don't describe yourself as you are writing it, cast your mind back to your worst days in relation to the activity in the question and base your answer on what was happening for you on those days. And then go through each one of your diagnoses and describe how each one limits your ability to do said activity. You suffer from depression and anxiety? Okay, so you struggle to go to the doctors because you can't find the motivation to move and you're extremely anxious about what will happen when you get there.

Please remember that whilst you have a genuine need for PIP, PIP is not set up to intelligently and thoughtfully assess your genuine need. Just like an A level History exam tests your ability to pass an exam and not your passion and understanding of history, PIP is exactly the same. You know you have a genuine need, now you need to pass this surreal and complex test in order to meet that need. Understanding this will not only increase your chances of success but it should also hopefully relieve some of the mental distress involved in making this application.

I have not found out if I've been successful yet, but this is everything I have learned from experienced people so far. I think If I'm not successful it will probably be down to my failure to follow my own advice.

Take care of yourself and I wish you the very best of luck. I don't often log in here but feel free to send me a DM and I'll be happy to share any resources and knowledge I have.

Sorry I didn't read your OP properly before I wrote my reply.

Yes you should absolutely bother to write how it affects you even if you did have a ton of evidence (though you might have more evidence than you think).

Applying for PIP is an extremely legalistic process and writing how it affects you is where you translate your real world experiences into the legalistic framework that PIP is assessed by. It is highly recommended that you get some actual legal help to fill out the form. Yes this sounds crazy because it is crazy. There are specialist charities who help to fill out the form based on caselaw. It cost me around £120, I was lucky to have access to this money upfront without borrowing it, it's a couple of week's worth of PIP payment to save yourself excess stress and trauma, it minimises your chance of going to appeal.

But I don't feel comfortable pushing something that costs you money. Just understand that writing how it affects you is essential and it is a legalistic process. If you have the mind for it you can research the way that PIP is assessed, it is highly structured. It's like an alternate reality. There is no limit to how much you can write, you can write a whole separate document and send it with the application form as long as you write something like "see additional pages" in each box.

You can call for a deadline extension. The limit seems to be around 3 extensions.

You can also keep a PIP diary where you write how it affects you each day and add this as evidence. Be aware that you need to prove that you are affected at least 50% of the days. So don't send in a 10 day PIP diary if you were really struggling for 6 days but wrote "fine" for 4 days.

When you write about how it affects you imagine yourself of your very worst days, of course to be actually filling out the form at all you need to be kind of functional, so don't describe yourself as you are writing it, cast your mind back to your worst days in relation to the activity in the question and base your answer on what was happening for you on those days. And then go through each one of your diagnoses and describe how each one limits your ability to do said activity. You suffer from depression and anxiety? Okay, so you struggle to go to the doctors because you can't find the motivation to move and you're extremely anxious about what will happen when you get there.

Please remember that whilst you have a genuine need for PIP, PIP is not set up to intelligently and thoughtfully assess your genuine need. Just like an A level History exam tests your ability to pass an exam and not your passion and understanding of history, PIP is exactly the same. You know you have a genuine need, now you need to pass this surreal and complex test in order to meet that need. Understanding this will not only increase your chances of success but it should also hopefully relieve some of the mental distress involved in making this application.

I have not found out if I've been successful yet, but this is everything I have learned from experienced people so far. I think If I'm not successful it will probably be down to my failure to follow my own advice.

Take care of yourself and I wish you the very best of luck. I don't often log in here but feel free to send me a DM and I'll be happy to share any resources and knowledge I have.

Jamphrey said:

When you write about how it affects you imagine yourself of your very worst days, of course to be actually filling out the form at all you need to be kind of functional, so don't describe yourself as you are writing it, cast your mind back to your worst days in relation to the activity in the question and base your answer on what was happening for you on those days.

I get what you're saying, but for me doing PIP makes me way more depressed and stressed than I am when I am not doing PIP as it forces me to focus on all the things I can't do! But then I am primarily applying for a physical disability, much of my anxiety and depression stems from that, so while my mental health can be bad in normal life, PIP makes it so much worse. Of course I have no idea how much anxiety and depression I would have if I were physically healthy as I have never had to try and survive as an autist in the adult world. School was bad enough!