Forthcoming ATOS assessment.

Re: Forthcoming ATOS assessment.

"Baron" David Fraud set out with lies, such as stating that Incapacity Benefit claimants had never been seen or re-examined since being put on IB. Despite the obvious detail that Origin Medical and then Schlumberger (bought up by ATOS) were paid with taxpayers' money to re-examine claimants every few years, that lie has been repeated ever since.

[wales01man]

Re: Forthcoming ATOS assessment.

Until the DWP accept the evidence from health proffessionals from surgeons doctors etc.the system will not change ,I cannot see how the evidence of years of consultations operations and everything else the genuine sick and disable have gone through is not believed does an ATOS questioner without access to scans and other information know better than a respected specialist.Fair enough if there is no evidence there can be doubts but in the cases we hear about like the OP it cant be denied or are their doctors therapists and others conspiring to defraud the country??????

Re: Forthcoming ATOS assessment.

I passed the ATOS assessment with honours :rofl: Fit for F*** All I believe the result was (or words to that effect)

Go in,,take your evidence,answer questions in your own time,tell the truth.

[charitynjw]

Re: Forthcoming ATOS assessment.

Unfortunately unless and until ATOS is shunted off to Mars these assessments will carry on taking place.
Take all (if any) medication you take and letters from anyone you see/have seen re your health.
The paperwork confirming you have bi-polar will help.

Can't we tell them "Go disappear up Uranus" instead?

[wales01man]

Re: Forthcoming ATOS assessment.

Having been to an assessment with my wigfe I can advice that Tell everthing,take as much written info from medical proffessionals,stay calm have someone with you and think before you answer the questions a quick response can often come across as the wrong way ,remember the questions are to find that you can do the things asked .Lastly if your telling the truth you should have no worries

Re: Forthcoming ATOS assessment.

Unfortunately unless and until ATOS is shunted off to Mars these assessments will carry on taking place.
Take all (if any) medication you take and letters from anyone you see/have seen re your health.
The paperwork confirming you have bi-polar will help.

Re: Forthcoming ATOS assessment.

As ATOS is so corrupt and works from the assumption that you're a blagger, you must, whilst being truthful, dwell on the worst case scenario and not be too much of a soldier. It's hard, I know, because all the time you're trying to look on the bright side. Which is why, in addition to the recording (and you are right to insist on that) you need someone very clued up accompanying you.

ATOS assessors have been known to tell lies - on occasion, they have told some astoundingly stupid lies.

For example, an assessor who made a home visit reported that one man had "no difficulty using the stairs" in his home.

This was manifestly untrue, as he would first have considerable difficulty finding the stairs in a single storey bungalow.

[MissFM]

Re: Forthcoming ATOS assessment.

You need to take an advocate with you. If you don't have a CPN or other professional who knows your situation and is able to do this I would suggest http://www.mind.org.uk/mental_health..._mental_health as a starting point. Otherwise a sympathetic and articulate family member or friend would do, as long as they understand your situation, how the system works, can articulate your situation and you trust them.

As ATOS is so corrupt and works from the assumption that you're a blagger, you must, whilst being truthful, dwell on the worst case scenario and not be too much of a soldier. It's hard, I know, because all the time you're trying to look on the bright side. Which is why, in addition to the recording (and you are right to insist on that) you need someone very clued up accompanying you.

[charitynjw]

Re: Forthcoming ATOS assessment.

Merely obeying orders?

Ah! Ze ole Nuremberg ploy, eh!

Re: Forthcoming ATOS assessment.

What on earth did the mental health professionals who were supposed to be looking after you think they were doing?

Merely obeying orders?

[bluebottle]

Re: Forthcoming ATOS assessment.

I was prescribed 800mg Lithium Carbonate for several years, which was supposed to stabilise me, which it did, but at a manic level;- I shudder now when I remember some of the things I did while taking that, it's amazing that I did not kill or seriously injure myself, or anyone else, during that period. I used to stay awake for 20 or more hours a day, every day, ride a 1,000cc motorbike flat out everywhere, confront anyone I perceived as a bully, no matter how much bigger, or younger than myself, and so on.

What on earth did the mental health professionals who were supposed to be looking after you think they were doing? Lithium is toxic in high doses and an overdose can be lethal. I can remember someone being taken into a psychiatric unit who was manic, was given a high dose of Lithium Sulphate and the next thing they can remember is being in the Resuscitation Room of the Accident & Emergency Department. Chlorpromazine (Largactil) can be dangerous if not prescribed with care. Thankfully, they are not allowed to prescribe it anymore because of its dangerous aspects, i.e. hypotension.

[Cynic]

Re: Forthcoming ATOS assessment.

Cynic,

When you suffer a manic or depressive episode, are you given Lithium Sulphate to bring things back into balance? The bi-polar patients I know are given this medication and it normally brings things back into balance.

I was prescribed 800mg Lithium Carbonate for several years, which was supposed to stabilise me, which it did, but at a manic level;- I shudder now when I remember some of the things I did while taking that, it's amazing that I did not kill or seriously injure myself, or anyone else, during that period. I used to stay awake for 20 or more hours a day, every day, ride a 1,000cc motorbike flat out everywhere, confront anyone I perceived as a bully, no matter how much bigger, or younger than myself, and so on.

[bluebottle]

Re: Forthcoming ATOS assessment.

Cynic,

When you suffer a manic or depressive episode, are you given Lithium Sulphate to bring things back into balance? The bi-polar patients I know are given this medication and it normally brings things back into balance.

[Cynic]

Re: Forthcoming ATOS assessment.

To be honest, you will do yourself no favours by ensuring you do all you can to minimise the effect of this on yourself, as long as living with the anxiety until the date of the assessment is not going to cause you danger in any way.

If they see you manifesting the symptoms you've described above, then it will 'help' them realise you are a genuine case. I can empathise entirely with the position of being calm and lucid one moment and extremely ill the next. There are often triggers - I have no doubt your consultant, CPN, counsellors etc... will have talked you through learning to recognise and avoid these, thus you are usually able to self-manage your illness. However, something unexpected can trigger an instant reaction which can transform you within a second or two.

It would be good to be able to describe these triggers and give some examples of how your illness has been set off without warning, and the effect this has had on you, and on others around you. It is highly likely, given the stress of the situation, that you will be manifesting some features of the illness anyway - this is no bad thing.

Thanks Labman, it is a worry to me that in order to give a lucid account, I will appear to be "normal"ish, at least. I cannot predict how I will feel tomorrow, much less in a couple of weeks when my WCA is due. I have been worrying about this since February when the forms were originally sent;- it took me 3 weeks (in dribs and drabs) to complete them, describing history and effects, being 100% honest about them.
Yes, when I used to see a consultant and CPN, I did learn to self manage, very well, I believe, but only by keeping myself out of situations exactly like this.

I feel a bit like a victim of a medieval witchcraft trial;- if I give a good account of myself clearly I am OK and should not be on sickness benefit, if I can't, they'll walk all over me and take it from me anyway.

Re: Forthcoming ATOS assessment.

To be honest, you will do yourself no favours by ensuring you do all you can to minimise the effect of this on yourself, as long as living with the anxiety until the date of the assessment is not going to cause you danger in any way.

If they see you manifesting the symptoms you've described above, then it will 'help' them realise you are a genuine case. I can empathise entirely with the position of being calm and lucid one moment and extremely ill the next. There are often triggers - I have no doubt your consultant, CPN, counsellors etc... will have talked you through learning to recognise and avoid these, thus you are usually able to self-manage your illness. However, something unexpected can trigger an instant reaction which can transform you within a second or two.

It would be good to be able to describe these triggers and give some examples of how your illness has been set off without warning, and the effect this has had on you, and on others around you. It is highly likely, given the stress of the situation, that you will be manifesting some features of the illness anyway - this is no bad thing.