DSA for mental health
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Original post by Anonymous
What's the assessment like? I want to apply but i don't think i'm ill enough =/ I've only got four years of anorexia and depression behind me so am I actually disabled? Also could my counsellor fill out the form or does it need to be the GP?
I think it does need to be a GP or a psychiatrist - someone medically qualified to give a diagnosis, basically.
Depression def counts for DSA - less sure about anorexia. It's all about how your illnesses impact upon your ability to study.
If you get to the assessment stage, the assessors are really friendly and kind. The assessment takes about 2 hours because it is very detailed and thorough but that's just to get/give you all the help you need/deserve. It can seem a bit daunting beforehand but it's more of a long, detailed chat than an assessment
It's worth asking your uni's disability office whether they think you'd be eligible or not
The assessment is really nothing to worry about. As others have said, they bend over backwards trying to help - it's completely different to any mental health or benefits assessment I've ever had. It's focused entirely on what might help you - I found it was a lot about them offering things and me saying I didn't think I needed that! Bear in mind that by the time you go for the assessment they have already approved you getting the benefit, it's just for assessing what will help you, not whether or not you can get support. I don't know if your counsellor can do the forms or not - I have a feeling they ask for medical professional but I may be wrong. I think it's worth applying.
Original post by Anonymous
Hi,
I wondered if anyone had applied for DSA on mental health grounds? I have applied and been told that my application has been approved, and I have to go for a needs assessment tomorrow. Can anyone tell me what to expect? I have quite a long history of mental health problems, including severe recurrent depression, borderline personality disorder, disordered eating, and anxiety. I have read about DSA, but most information seems to apply to physical conditions or learning difficulties, and I don't really know what to expect for mental health.
Thanks
I wondered if anyone had applied for DSA on mental health grounds? I have applied and been told that my application has been approved, and I have to go for a needs assessment tomorrow. Can anyone tell me what to expect? I have quite a long history of mental health problems, including severe recurrent depression, borderline personality disorder, disordered eating, and anxiety. I have read about DSA, but most information seems to apply to physical conditions or learning difficulties, and I don't really know what to expect for mental health.
Thanks
On top of what everyone else has said its a "NEEDS ASSESSMENT". So when you make it clear to the person assessing you that you need the biggest mofo whiteboard because you cant do without then they will give it to you. Thats how I got my 210 pounds allowance.
Hey, I know this discussion is from a while back, and I might just be repeating previous questions but I've always had issues with not being 'ill' enough. I don't like to use the term but some people classify me as having 'high functioning' depression, so not a lot of people notice that I'm struggling. The major visible impacts it has on my life is that i don't always get up in the morning and miss a fair amount of school because of it. The other major thing for me (and perhaps a bigger deal than the not getting up in the morning) is that i get rEALLY REALLY tired all the time, and struggle to even walk places because i'm so physically exhausted.would this mean that i'm 'ill enough' to get some support? my diagnosis is severe treatment resistant depression with suicidal ideation, but to some people that doesn't mean that i struggle academically. That being said, i do have quite a lot of issues with concentration too.maybe i'm just trying to validate my own illness just to fight my own self stigma, but this is something i'm quite worried about. also sorry if it just sounds like i'm listing symptoms, i know that can get annoying.any help would be greatly appreciated xx
Original post by louisarhodes
Hey, I know this discussion is from a while back, and I might just be repeating previous questions but I've always had issues with not being 'ill' enough. I don't like to use the term but some people classify me as having 'high functioning' depression, so not a lot of people notice that I'm struggling. The major visible impacts it has on my life is that i don't always get up in the morning and miss a fair amount of school because of it. The other major thing for me (and perhaps a bigger deal than the not getting up in the morning) is that i get rEALLY REALLY tired all the time, and struggle to even walk places because i'm so physically exhausted.would this mean that i'm 'ill enough' to get some support? my diagnosis is severe treatment resistant depression with suicidal ideation, but to some people that doesn't mean that i struggle academically. That being said, i do have quite a lot of issues with concentration too.maybe i'm just trying to validate my own illness just to fight my own self stigma, but this is something i'm quite worried about. also sorry if it just sounds like i'm listing symptoms, i know that can get annoying.any help would be greatly appreciated xx
It depends how it affects you, rather than what you have.
The major affects for me are poor concentration, extreme fatigue, sometimes missing school/lessons, unable to walk some places as I am too tired (eg I once got stranded in town as I was too far from a bus stop and from home to walk so I had to get my mum to pick me up, I would usually have walked no questions asked). There might be a couple more but yeah that's most of them x
Original post by louisarhodes
The major affects for me are poor concentration, extreme fatigue, sometimes missing school/lessons, unable to walk some places as I am too tired (eg I once got stranded in town as I was too far from a bus stop and from home to walk so I had to get my mum to pick me up, I would usually have walked no questions asked). There might be a couple more but yeah that's most of them x
No one can say for certain whether you'd get help or what you'd get but I would have thought from what you've described and the diagnosis that you have, that that would merit a needs assessment and that that in turn, would lead to some support provisions being put in place for you
Original post by The_Lonely_Goatherd
No one can say for certain whether you'd get help or what you'd get but I would have thought from what you've described and the diagnosis that you have, that that would merit a needs assessment and that that in turn, would lead to some support provisions being put in place for you
Thank you, even if I don't get support, that's really reassuring and makes me feel a bit less like I'm in the dark xxx
