A few months ago, my father told me to apply for (PIP) Personal Independence Payment after reading a news article about the government doing a U-turn and relooking at awarding people with mental health.

I applied and was invited to attend an assessment. I went with my father wearing sunglasses and dressed in black.

I could barely walk unaided due to chronic back pain and a bulging disc affecting my right and left side.

I never make eye contact with people, especially people I don’t know, and I’m always fidgeting.

I told the assessor on arrival that I couldn’t sit in the chair provided because it wasn’t a proper chair for bad backs.

She said to me that they had no other seating and that if I felt uncomfortable during the interview, I could stand up, which I did.

The PIP assessor also wrote on the decision letter that they thought that I could prepare food, take nutrition, manage therapy, wash and bathe, dress and undress, communicate, engage with people face to face and make budgeting decisions.

However, my father had to answer most of the questions for me, and he told me I never once made eye contact with the assessor.

They also said that I coped well and did not appear anxious and referred to the mental state exam, which I have even never heard of.

I scored 4 out of the whole form, and they decided to award me those points for needing to be prompted by another person to undertake a journey to avoid causing me mental distress.

I deal with things a lot differently from what they described, so I decided to appeal their decision as I feel my illness has a massive impact on all of the things mentioned above that they think I can cope with.

I’m now awaiting the reply from my Personal Independence Payment appeal, and I hope that this story will have a better ending.

If you or someone you know has been turned down for PIP or has appealed the decision, please comment below or on our social media pages.