2 pts short for Daily Living needs - is it worth appealing?

Hi, I just got the letter from DWP saying they cannot award me PIP.
It might be long so you can skip to TL,DR :) (TW: ED talk)

I don't have any mobility issues, however due to severe depression I need help for a few daily living related things. I scored 6 points for the daily living part.

I scored 2/8 for preparing food (I mostly eat takeaway, the assessor pointed I can use a microwave - and tbf I can use the air fryer and rice cooker when they are clean, but that's the issue here, as I told the assessor the kitchen counter is 99% of the time covered in dirty dishes, I don't have the energy/motivation to wash up, which is what mostly stops me from preparing basic meals)

I scored 2/8 for washing and bathing + 2/8 for dressing and undressing: I'm assuming anyone who's been through major depression will get why.
It's very hard to get out of bed, let alone shower, brush my teeth, taking my meds for my other health conditions. And then once again because of low motivation/energy I leave the laundry basket to overflow, and end up hiding the extra dirty clothes in the tumble drier or in the bath tub. And I usually just wear PJs or the same lounging set until I find it unbearable and shower and change. As I told the assessor on the phone, I am ashamed of this, so if I have to go somewhere like a doctor's appointment or a class, I will be shower, brush my teeth, maybe even put some makeup and dress decently. There is only my therapist who has seen me in my "indoors state" during our online counselling sessions, and once a social worker visited my flat and saw the state of the mess and me.

I got 0 pts for mixing with other people but in 2026 so far I've gone to 4 classes (various types that are basically support groups, one for trauma survivors, 2 others that are mental health oriented), so I mixed with other people 4 times this year. That's it. I think I may have been hiding (or "masking" maybe?) how much I avoid socializing to the assessor, because at the time when I have the phone assessment in Feb, I had intentions to attend a class weekly, and go to a few other drop in sessions. But of course my moods are unpredictable and I have so far flaked out on almost every opportunity.

I got 0 pts on making budgeting decisions, and I feel like maybe it's the way it's worded by DWP, but sure, I *can* (as in: "I am technically able to") manage complex budgeting decisions unaided because I pay most bills on time bar a few screw ups, I have a good credit score because in the past I had my head firmly on my shoulders and could hold down a job, pay off a credit card, etc. But NOW, I am in debt, credit card debt, very much using almost all my allowed overdraft every month, also Paypal credit, all of these adding interest, and I'm only able to pay the monthly minimum repayments for the credit cards rather than paying the balance off at the end of each month as I used to, because I struggle with buying things I don't need, buying supplies for creative projects I envision but rarely start and never finish, buying takeaways & regular food shops (comfort food plus I often binge), buying lots of clothes because my size is fluctuating because of binges, etc... I did mention that my poor impulse control was way worse since they'd upped my sertraline dose to the max, but they sort of shrugged it off, just like when I asked for help with the binges 2 years ago and they said as long as I didn't purge, it wasn't worth referring me to the ED service.

I feel so much embarrassment about this, and about the state of my life in general, that I put up a front and hide most of it to almost everyone. Doctors included tbh, because I find it extremely hard to trust people (from childhood trauma). It took me a decade to get help with a DV situation I was in because I was so ashamed about it and scared no one would believe me. You see the pattern here... So the issue is other than some chronic conditions that are under control and have been documented for years in my medical records, the only conditions I've been diagnosed with by a doctor is depression and anxiety. Not cPTSD from abuse, eating disorder, AuDHD, although I strongly suspect I am affected by all these, and therapist agrees, but cannot diagnose me with. And the assessor on the phone was quite clear that she wanted to hear about the conditions for which I have a document diagnosis.

I just feel completely hopeless, sorry for the long rant, but I feel like when I reach the point where I really need help - and that includes financial support, hence applying to PIP - I feel like I'm not believed because I bottled up my issues for so long that I don't have much proof to show the state of the mess I'm in.

TL,DR: I scored 6 points for the daily living part of PIP, so missing 2 points to be eligible for the standard rate. I'm not sure why I didn't score any points in the mixing with people and budgeting categories since I struggle with these, but I don't know if it is worth asking for mandatory reconsideration for such a low score. I am not sure I can cope with another rejection, or with how to prove that I struggle in these areas.

Thanks