Paranoid Schizophrenia and ESA

Whilst people with a diagnosis of schizophrenia and other severe mental illnesses should have easy voluntary access to schemes that offer support in finding and sustaining suitable employment, I feel very strongly that they should be exempt from the medical process and placed in the support group.

Being forced to attend a potentially unfair medical is unacceptable for anyone who is already battling with poor health or a disability, but people with severe and enduring conditions particularly need to be protected from the current process.

There has to be vast improvements and real evidence to demonstrate there is a system in place which is fully supportive of people's complex needs.

On the issue of psychiatric care, it is a real worry that the continuity of care offered in out- patient clinics is being compromised. I have seen the same consultant psychiatrist for quite a number of years now and feel that vital support could be lost.

GPs are being given more and more responsibility. Can they can cope with the level of expertise required or will patient-care suffer?

Thought an update might be in order. Due to the stress of his mobility probems and the fear of being made possibly homeless and without benefits, my son has started to have auditory hallucinations, again. He came straight to me and we called the CPN who came and saw him and will see him Friday. We are going to monitor the situation, the stress has also increased because he lives with fear of hearing voices again (at one point it was 24/7) Does the Government not realise that they are practically handing out a mental death sentence to some people. My son has coped excellently in the past two years but does not socialise except for doing his shopping and going out with me, keeps his house and himself immaculate, does not drink, smoke or do drugs. He as done everything possible to keep himself sane and now he is begining to fall to bits through all this nonsense

Mairit.

I was saddened to read your update. It is dreadful that your son's mental health has deteriorated due to fears about losing his benefit.

I hope he improves soon and is able to follow his social worker's advice not to worry.

Hopefully due to the severity of his condition and the level of support he needs, your son will be exempt from the WCA and placed in the support group when his benefit is reviewed.


Best wishes

Thanks Catherine for your kind thoughts. Sometimes I just wonder what is going on in this world. The greedy get greedier and the poorer get poorer,

Hi,
Sorry to hear of the suffering of your son, these effects plague many medications.
Sounds like Clozaril to me.

Social functioning is never an easily understood aspect of mental illness and is made doubly difficult by obvious side effects.

A note by the way to the moderator 'Survivor', you are quoting 'the Rule Of Thirds', which is long past its sell by date, since the work of Courtenay M. Harding in Vermont and perhaps both you and Denise might take some comfort from this brief description:

psychrights.org/research/Digest/Effective/APAMonV31No2.htm

Catherine wrote:

Whilst people with a diagnosis of schizophrenia and other severe mental illnesses should have easy voluntary access to schemes that offer support in finding and sustaining suitable employment, I feel very strongly that they should be exempt from the medical process and placed in the support group.

Being forced to attend a potentially unfair medical is unacceptable for anyone who is already battling with poor health or a disability, but people with severe and enduring conditions particularly need to be protected from the current process.

There has to be vast improvements and real evidence to demonstrate there is a system in place which is fully supportive of people's complex needs.

On the issue of psychiatric care, it is a real worry that the continuity of care offered in out- patient clinics is being compromised. I have seen the same consultant psychiatrist for quite a number of years now and feel that vital support could be lost.

GPs are being given more and more responsibility. Can they can cope with the level of expertise required or will patient-care suffer?

I can see where your coming from, and in many ways I agree with most of what you say. But its not going to happen and if it did for any group ....then the flood gates would open and everyone would say that they should go into the support group, All groups can put up a good case for not being stressed some groups can put up a better case,


like any problem some people are going to be sicker than others so putting all in the support group might not be right for everyone.

I could copy and paste your post and insert most health problems, even mine and make a case for support group

all i feel though we should get is high quality care with drs and DM making proper decsions made on medical evidance for the benefit of the person and not for reason of cutting numbers on ESA