The other day I saw an article in a national newspaper that stated there has been a huge increase in the amount of people claiming Personal Independence Payments (PIP) in the UK for ADHD. PIP is basically a disability allowance for those who struggle to do normal daily tasks due to a health/ medical condition.
Obviously the diagnosis figures around the world for ADHD continue to rise as more information and awareness becomes readily available, but I suppose the two questions here are, is PIP really that easy to claim? Does ADHD warrant getting financial support?
There are actually people who make a living over assisting others to succeed in getting PIP claims so doesn’t that suggest it’s a system that can be easily rigged? You’d think wouldn’t you. Well you might be interested to know that 7 or 8 years ago, this very blogger put myself forward for PIP.
“Before someone advised me, I’d never thought about claiming benefits due to my ADHD or Dyspraxia before.”
ADHD gIRL
It wasn’t something I’d ever thought of before, but a colleague of mine who worked alongside me pointed out that it took me a lot more mental energy to do my job than it did for some people due to the ADHD. So with her support I applied for PIP and wait for it….I got turned down. Why might you ask did I get turned down when I have a diagnosable case of ADHD. Well I got told that if I could drive a car and hold down a job as a lecturer then my ADHD couldn’t affect me that much?? Thus shows the ignorance of what ADHD actually is and how it can affect a person.
Equally I know someone who has never had a job in their life and went for PIP for their ADHD and got it, so I have a lot of trouble understanding how the system is fair or how it works. When I asked her how she used the money and if ADHD caused her to spend more? She said she shops more due to bad impulse control….like WOW. I’m sure we’d all love to shop more but we just don’t have the money.
“ADHD tax is a real thing, ask anyone who has the condition and they can probably tell you all about it and how much they’ve had to pay out.”
ADHD gIRL
Of course, we all know there is defintley such a thing called ADHD Tax where having ADHD can cost us more money due to our forgetful and disfocused nature, and the PIP application from does have a section linked to management of finances.
I think what this really comes down to is individual circumstances. Should almost half a million people in the UK being claiming PIP for their ADHD?? That’s not for me today, but the government on a case by case basis. While some people with ADHD may require PIP, others may not. Whichever side of the debate you land on it’s certainly interesting in itself to see more people are claiming the ADHD label in the UK (you don’t necesarily need a diangosis) than ever before and potentially seeking support.
Catch you next week ADHDers and allies!!
