PIP and Engaging people face to face? Claiming for anxiety questions (Wales)
Hey there. So I'm in the process of mandatory reconsideration and have submitted all of my documents and evidence and am just now waiting to hear back, but I was wondering just how I genuinely qualify for this?
(apologies first of all, I'm on the spectrum so I might word things a bit funny at times? this is relevant later)
Maybe it's the imposter syndrome kicking in, but I'll be blunt. My anxiety is so bad that (and this is all documented by doctors notes and prescriptions sent to PIP) I was having severe night sweats if I didn't take diazepam at night and would wake up vomiting. For a while I thought I was having GI issues but I was genuinely wasting away due to my anxiety and I wasn't realising it until my doctor pointed out how many of my symptoms I was complaining about were very common for people who suffer from very bad anxiety.
I simply can't go outside and face people without it. It's not the only medication I'm on but it's the most.. significant one that my doctors are rightfully keeping a close eye on me with. It helps me cope but even then I'm not comfortable and still feel very burnt out when I get home after running even short errands, like popping into town for an hour on a short 10 minute direct train.
I can't socialise with people properly. Its all scripted and I stumble and get flustered. When I wake up in the mornings most of the time my heartbeat is already racing and I'm already so anxious I can't think straight. It's not due an addiction to the substance (again, I'm under close doctor supervision), but without my diazepam I genuinely don't think I'd be able to even go to Tesco's without sweating and feeling nauseous with horrific stomach cramps.
The painful thing is because I'm autistic I've learned to hide it well. I've masked my whole life because whenever I would stim as a child in school I'd get scolded and I learned that I had to mimic others behaviours to get by or else the consequences would be bad. Masking makes me anxious in itself which is me shooting myself in my own foot. So many people who meet me probably wouldn't know I was so cripplingly anxious because I've learned to hide it for so long. Inside I'm in so much pain and it's genuinely impossible for me to show it.
ALSO yes I am seeking help from my mental health team and I am being referred. I'm just trying to cope with everything right now haha... it's just a very stressful situation to be in. I also have OCD so of course I'm convincing myself I'm a fraud (I'm absolutely not).
thank you for reading if you did btw, I just want to know if I actually qualify for even a few points. When I got my original letter back I scored 0 points but I think I misunderstood a lot of the questions and didn't provide enough evidence.
Posted Apr 5, 2026, 2:43 AM UTC · locked