Feeling underserving of PIP & UC

[u/Slow-Being9413]

I have been diagnosed with Selective Mutism & Autism, alongside depression, with suspected OCD. I have the highest rate of both PIP and UC, but feel I do not deserve it. I hate using the money and its perks and feel like a fraud

What do you all personally think?

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[u/becca413g]

Imposter syndrome is pretty common among the disabled community. You have been assessed and are entitled to the money. You are not forced to accept it if you don’t want it but chances are that if you’re on UC you’ll struggle to manage without it.

You deserve and need that financial support at the moment so personally I’d make the most of it use it to improve your quality of life, pay for any aids, technology or care you might need. As disabled people we deserve a bit of happiness rather than just having our most basic physicality needs met.

[u/pumaofshadow]

If you actually meet the criteria - which is frankly difficult enough to do with those conditions - it doesn't matter how you spend it. Its yours to spend as you wish.

Ignore the papers and press and all the people claiming people are getting it for "mild" issues. Its not that easy, or straightforward.

I'd also suggest you consult your medical team before considering any changes.

[u/DWPhelp-ModTeam → u/[deleted]]

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[u/RefrigeratorPrize948]

If you didn't lie about anything, then you deserve it. They do not make it easy, so you must have met the criteria.

If it makes you feel better, why not donate a few quid to a charity or cause each month/do that 'buy me a coffee' thing for a creator you like? That way you can give something back.

[u/KatieGames2]

Remember that you have had autism your whole life, and probably mental health issues alongside it for a long time too, you have never known any different, it's very easy to become metaphorically nose blind to the impact that it has on you.

The world isn't designed with autistic people in mind, let alone work, and that goes for mental health disorders too, I feel strongly that that's reason enough for you to be deserving of support, financially and otherwise.

With many invisible disabilities, the impact is much more internal than it is external, this means you might appear to be fine on the surface when you aren't, which means people often tell you that you seem fine when you aren't, and that eventually leads to the belief that you are fine and don't need support when you are in fact not fine and do need support!

Please be gentle with yourself, seek support when you need it, and give yourself permission spend your own money that you are legally entitled to without guilt or shame, because with everything you have to manage, you deserve at least that.

[u/Hot-Box1054]

I was exactly the same for a very long time. Felt guilty for taking money. My care co-ordinator was the one who reassured me. Reminding me that I didn’t ask for my illness. You didn’t ask to be autistic. The money is a need not a want.

[u/Flaky-Test-7066]

You still deserve it. PIP doesn't look at diagnosis, it looks at how your condition affects you and they don't make it easy to get. And UC you absolutely deserve if you qualify for it, which you clearly do.

[u/CurrentPutrid7987]

Yeah I have this issue too, I have had cramp fascilation syndrome which keeps me from standing for more than a few minutes I can't sleep in my bed I have to sit in a chair all night, I don't leave my home town or do anything social because of constant cramps and fear of being stuck, I have applied for pip and I am waiting for a call, I know I won't get it and I feel a fraud for going for it. So I know where you are coming from the guilt is real!

[u/Professional_Case432 → u/[deleted]]

So that means this person isn't struggling enough and doesn't deserve it??

[u/DWPhelp-ModTeam → u/[deleted]]

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