social contact always precluded

As regards the support group provisions for those in whom social contact is 'always' precluded due to their overwhelming fear or anxiety, I am wondering whether (a) the ability to visit your own GP alone. dentist etc, would mean you are not always precluded from social contact, or is that too literal an interpretation, and does it mean more likely that those who avoid social contact due to fear such as not answering the door, avoiding wider family and friends etc ? The thing that makes me think it could be harshly applied is the advice to healthcare professionals working for atos that this is unlikely to apply to those who attend the medical alone. If that is the case I could see it in medical reports that the 'customer attends the GP alone' if they asked the question, or even asked the GP ' does your patient attend alone' which they could well do if the claimants medical questionnaire form indicates
such a difficulty.

I beleive this descriptor has the potential to apply to many more people if it is reasonably translated. For example, if a person has a CPN and attends alone, then 'strictly' speaking they have engaged in social contact so it is 'not always precluded' but as a measure of severe impairment in the social contact of work, which is the context in which the assessment is made, then if that same person cannot answer the door, or the phone, or meet friends or family, or talk to strangers , or goes shopping when no one is about then surely 'social' contact is 'always precluded' in a realistic sense. The essential health professionals they meet, I wonder if that truly is 'social contact' in the meaning of the descriptor. The descriptor does not mention anything about having a companion during 'social contact' and so being alone or not is surely irrelevant or the descriptor would say ' cannot cope with social contact when alone' of words to that effect, and indeed, ability to interact with the essential companion, is itself social contact.

This is one of the most important descriptors for persons with severe anxiety related conditions

XFACTOR wrote:

As regards the support group provisions for those in whom social contact is 'always' precluded due to their overwhelming fear or anxiety, I am wondering whether (a) the ability to visit your own GP alone. dentist etc, would mean you are not always precluded from social contact, or is that too literal an interpretation, and does it mean more likely that those who avoid social contact due to fear such as not answering the door, avoiding wider family and friends etc ? The thing that makes me think it could be harshly applied is the advice to healthcare professionals working for atos that this is unlikely to apply to those who attend the medical alone. If that is the case I could see it in medical reports that the 'customer attends the GP alone' if they asked the question, or even asked the GP ' does your patient attend alone' which they could well do if the claimants medical questionnaire form indicates
such a difficulty.

I beleive this descriptor has the potential to apply to many more people if it is reasonably translated. For example, if a person has a CPN and attends alone, then 'strictly' speaking they have engaged in social contact so it is 'not always precluded' but as a measure of severe impairment in the social contact of work, which is the context in which the assessment is made, then if that same person cannot answer the door, or the phone, or meet friends or family, or talk to strangers , or goes shopping when no one is about then surely 'social' contact is 'always precluded' in a realistic sense. The essential health professionals they meet, I wonder if that truly is 'social contact' in the meaning of the descriptor. The descriptor does not mention anything about having a companion during 'social contact' and so being alone or not is surely irrelevant or the descriptor would say ' cannot cope with social contact when alone' of words to that effect, and indeed, ability to interact with the essential companion, is itself social contact.

This is one of the most important descriptors for persons with severe anxiety related conditions

the moment you go anywhere , then "always" no longer counts

it would be right to say most of the time

also the last point, ability to interact with the essential companion, is itself social contact.

this can be seen as so, by the group of people who can't even interact with the person taking them out .. people living in care homes with very bad behaviour problems who have no understanding at all as to how to act and behave outside IMO of course ..