PIP Definition of “overwhelming psychological dist

Hi Flower

The legal definition is:

“Overwhelming psychological distress” means distress related to an enduring mental health condition or an intellectual or cognitive impairment.

I know several claimants with agoraphobia who have not scored as they were expecting when it comes to leaving the house or engaging with people.

For example if a person does not leave the house at all, the DWP will argue that they do not experience OPD - because they don't attempt to go through their front door and therefore don't experience all the stress of going on a journey.

I suspect they will make a similar argument if you do not engage at all - then they will say there is no overwhelming stress - because you don't do it.

I am not saying they are right only how they may be interpreting your difficulties. You can obviously put in a for a mandatory reconsideration and you will need to look back at how you described your difficulties to see how they fit into the specific criteria.

BIS

Hi Ethan

I can't give you an answer, because it is not any one condition that allows people to score, points it is the impact of the condition against the PIP criteria. Flower I think has fallen foul of an attitude towards some people with agoraphobia in scoring on specific questions, I have also known people score for it. It depends on each individual, how the symptoms are described vs what is possible or try to do, and offering medical evidence to back up. Then unfairly it is down to some luck because none of these things are entirely clear. So with your brain condition, you have to explain why it's not possible, what you might have tried to make it possible or would try if you had help (in the form of a person or an aid) and back up with medical evidence why it's impossible.

BIS