Bipolar Disorder Support Group
Bipolar disorder is not just a single disorder, but a category of mood disorders marked by periods of abnormally high energy and euphoria, often accompanied by bouts of clinical depression. This is the place to talk about your experience with bipolar disorder, learn from others' experiences, and find support.
Gosh, i don't know where to start. My mind feels like alphabet soup today.
I'm 16, and live in England so i'm classed as school leaving age now, though i haven't been able to go since i was 11 due to problems with my mental health. I wanted to be able to go to collage, get a good job and everything. But i tried for collage, panicked and walked out in a sobbing mess. I just feel like such a mess at the moment, and really not able to go to collage or work.
But without either of them there's no money to pay for me, so my mum's been urging me to try for DLA to save ourselves being broke and homeless. I see my pdoc on 23rd and so we're going to have a bit of a chat about it with her.
But i'm so far from accepting what's up with me, and i can't talk to anyone about it. I feel it's a really private matter, i guess i'm ashamed of it for whatever reason. But i don't know why.
But yeah, you have to be honest about everything in your forms for DLA right? But i wouldn't be able to fill it in myself i don't think, but i don't want someone to help me with it due to the fact i don't want people knowing what's going on with me. And i don't want to make myself seem less worse off than i actually am because i don't want to sound utterly insane to the person helping me fill it in.
I'm stuck on what to do.
And so, if you have been granted DLA i was wondering how the form is to fill in, what questions they asked, what sort of answers you gave and which rate you got just to sort of give me a heads up on the whole thing.
Any info and advice would be great!
Thanks.
I'm 16, and live in England so i'm classed as school leaving age now, though i haven't been able to go since i was 11 due to problems with my mental health. I wanted to be able to go to collage, get a good job and everything. But i tried for collage, panicked and walked out in a sobbing mess. I just feel like such a mess at the moment, and really not able to go to collage or work.
But without either of them there's no money to pay for me, so my mum's been urging me to try for DLA to save ourselves being broke and homeless. I see my pdoc on 23rd and so we're going to have a bit of a chat about it with her.
But i'm so far from accepting what's up with me, and i can't talk to anyone about it. I feel it's a really private matter, i guess i'm ashamed of it for whatever reason. But i don't know why.
But yeah, you have to be honest about everything in your forms for DLA right? But i wouldn't be able to fill it in myself i don't think, but i don't want someone to help me with it due to the fact i don't want people knowing what's going on with me. And i don't want to make myself seem less worse off than i actually am because i don't want to sound utterly insane to the person helping me fill it in.
I'm stuck on what to do.
And so, if you have been granted DLA i was wondering how the form is to fill in, what questions they asked, what sort of answers you gave and which rate you got just to sort of give me a heads up on the whole thing.
Any info and advice would be great!
Thanks.
You will gain understanding of your strengths and weaknesses you may be quite deficient in mathematical skills but yet soar above all others in your ability to infer from the written word.Atleast that is my experience.
If I understand it right, you've had bipolar for 5 years. And you want to get govt benefits but are feeling confused about the entire process. I will share my experience and I hope it helps a little.
I was diagnosed w/ bipolar when I was 23. By that time I had already gone to college and worked for 3 years at a great job. As soon as I was diagnosed I became terrified that I would never be able to work again and that I would become homeless. For the next 5 years I tried to work, but I always quit (depression) or got fired (mania). I finally accepted the fact that I couldn't support myself without govt benefits. I applied for the benefits and got approved on my first try. I am now poor but at least my bills are paid and I live in a nice govt apartment in a very nice little town in the most beautiful part of our country. (Well, in my opinion anyway. lol)
I don't think you will get govt benefits unless you are open and honest on the forms. I am surprised that after 5 years you are still too shy to put your symptoms on the forms.
I had to be honest about all the times I tried to work and lost/quit my jobs. I had to be honest about all the doctors I had seen and which medicines I had been on. I had to be honest about how the disease affected me. I'm sure you have stories of bad things that have happened to you because of the disease. Like how your mum cannot support the two of you unless you get benefits. I would mention about how your dreams have been shattered (going to college and working.) These are the types of questions they ask on the forms here in the States.
Let me say it again, I don't think you will be approved unless you are open and honest on the forms. I understand that for you it is a source of shame to have bipolar. I don't think you should be ashamed. It isn't your fault that you have it! It's a great idea that you are going to discuss it with your pdoc. You may ask him if there is someone in his office who can help you fill out the forms.
Also, you could get the forms and try to fill them out yourself. I can tell you are an intelligent young lady. If the pdoc can't help and if you have trouble filling the forms out yourself then you could ask your mum for help? She must know about how the disease has ruined your dreams and goals for your life. And she would help you fill in the parts about which pdocs you have seen and which meds you have taken.
I hope all of this helps you!
I feel like i can't talk to anyone i know in -real- life about it. And i don't know what to do about that. I hate to be seen as vulnerable. And i actually really am.