[arista]

"I am debating the fact that there are many people out in society who are able to recreate some forms of mental illness - it's symptoms - for no other reason that to shirk off having to work, and benefitting from all the financial (and other) help that is then made available - it is people such as these who make the whole scenario of mental illness into a joke - not I. "


Yes a Very Current and Valid
Point.

[Vicky.]

Many people play up on it. Though I know a few people(unfortunately) on IB/ESA who are not ill, but they tend to use other reasons apart from mental health to claim. Their reason being, its harder to act than to take a walking stick for your assessment for the day. Which is true. If you have never actually had a mental illness, how would you know how to 'fake' one?

As for the assessments, gotta agree with BB eye here. The ATOS assessments are ridiculous and designed only to force genuinely sick people(and a few who might be faking) off ESA/IB. Force them to go through tribunals, which a huge percentage of people win...if this doesnt tell you something about the ATOS medicals then nothing will. If they find so many genuinely ill people fit for work, but then they are examined/questioned by a REAL doctor and are found unfit...

I think the assessments are a total waste of money. Basically what they are doing is ignoring what your qualified GP says, you know, someone who actually has training and experience in whatever your illness may be...and taking someone who usually doesnt know what they are talking abouts advice instead. Most(I say this as there *might* actually be a couple of qualified doctors..but not many) of the people who carry out the medicals arent actually qualified to recognise symptoms of mental illness. Many are ex midwives etc

Basically, from what I know of people...mental illness is not the main thing people use to play the system. As the people who have been through it all before know that it is easier to be 'passed' by using physical disability.

I think I still have my forms somewhere(though it was a few years ago now)...the ones they send back scoring you. And tbh if I was playing the system I would just take a walking stick with me and say I couldnt walk up stairs and that, because you would get the full 15 points pretty easily that way.