I felt like my mental health was irrelevant. I was made to feel like I was being a burden to the system.

Quote from A BBC News Article on PIP from a claimant called Vicky.

This shocking statement is the current state of our disabled person’s benefits system. We’ve heard this echoed by others that are in contact with No Panic. The assessment and reassessment process is complicated and can be traumatizing for the claimants. Even more so now that a great deal of mental health claimants have to go to appeal and even tribunal to get the correct decision that they need to live a suitable life and any suitable care.

So the question rightly asked is: Is this how to treat disabled people?

You’re disabled under the Equality Act 2010 if you have a physical or mental impairment that has a ‘substantial’ and ‘long-term’ negative effect on your ability to do normal daily activities.

Serious Neuroses can be classified under the substantial and long term mental impairment. Therefore discriminating against you on grounds of your mental health is not legal. This was part of the basis for the high court case on PIP, which resulted in all 1.6 million PIP claims having to be reassessed. We hope the high court case and the new reassessments mean that people with mental ill health and neuroses will be more fairly treated and not have to utter statements like Vicky’s.