I know myself that filling in a PIP (Personal Independence Payment) form to claim with BPD can be a daunting task. It is 33 pages long and full of questions, many of which don’t seem to relate to your poor mental health at all. For this post, I will be walking you through each and every page of the form to help advise you on what to write down for the best chance of getting your claim approved.
You should pay very close attention to the scores at the bottom of each tick-box page. If you score at least 8 points you will be receiving the following…
8 points – Daily living – Standard Rate – Which is £59.70 Per Week
12 points – Daily living – Enhanced Rate – which is £89.15 Per Week
Mobility Component – Standard Rate – £23.60 Per Week
Mobility Component – Enhanced Rate – £62.25 Per Week
Legal Notice: You need to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth on any benefit form. While there are plenty of suggestions here for those of us with BPD you should see them as nothing more than the examples they are, any example printed here might not reflect your own personal illnesses and symptoms.
Before we even start filling out the form here are some great tips to consider implementing…
Tip 1: If you only follow one of these tips, make sure it is this one. MAKE SURE YOU PHOTOCOPY THE FORM WHEN FINISHED!
This will help you when it comes time to do a face-to-face assessment and it covers your back if the form gets spoiled in the post, or worse it goes missing somewhere along the way. And as an extra bonus, it serves as a reference just in case you need to fill one in again for the same thing in the future. You can just copy what you previously said provided the things you put down are still relevant.
Tip 2: Use a Good Pen.
Your writing will need to be clean and tidy and in BLACK INK ONLY. If you can’t write very well or explain your conditions clearly do get someone else to fill in the form with you. You can even ask someone from Citizens Advice to help you fill the form in. If you need to do that you can Click Here or give them a call on: 0800 702 2020
Tip 3: Never Use Abbreviations
Never shorten anything when it comes to filling out this form. So just for an example never put simply BPD, you need to write out Borderline Personality Disorder each time as the person reading it doesn’t know what BPD stands for.
Tip 4: Never Leave a Page Blank
By using the advice and examples below you should not be leaving a single page blank, unless it really doesn’t have any relation to your illness, no matter how small it affects your life do write it down, even if it only mildly affects you.
Tip 5: Have your Medication Boxes Handy
And the last one is a really useful tip. Do have the little piece of paper inside your medications box with you as well as the box itself so you can get the spelling right, because you will need to jot down any side-effects your medication has, how many you take a day and what it is called. While you might not be suffering from all of the side-effects of your medication at the time you should still note them down as they could easily start affecting you at any point.
So I hope you are now sat down ready, you have a pen at your side and a nice cup of coffee or tea to sip while we fill this out. And away we go…
PIP – PAGE 1
The first page is pretty easy and something most people can do. Simply fill in your name in Block Capitals and using a Black Pen Only.
Then simply fill in your National insurance number. You can find your National Insurance number on a payslip, P60, or letters about tax, pensions and benefits. You can also find it through your personal tax account and download a confirmation letter. If you still cannot find it, you can either: Fill in a form called “CA5403” or contact the National Insurance numbers helpline and answer some questions (you’ll need to fill in form CA5403 if you cannot answer the questions).
PIP – PAGE 2
The first thing to take note with this page is the text at the top of the page. The text reads “As well as completing this form it is important that you help us to understand your needs by providing additional information. This should explain how your health condition or disability affects your daily life.” This means you can fill in the form, then attach anything else you feel you need to say or you thing they should know.
While this piece of text might not sound important, it is. Especially when they say “Do send information that shows how your health condition or disability affects you carrying out day-to-day activities.” OK, so here is a little piece of insider knowledge (Yes, I once worked in the PIP assessment office in Cardiff, Wales) the person reviewing your form, the person who will say ‘YES’ or ‘NO’ to your application has ZERO MEDICAL TRAINING! That is a fact and something you really need to consider when filling in this form. This is why you need to give them as much information as you can as it helps them to understand and it also helps you avoid a face-to-face meeting. You should even consider printing off pages like this one https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/borderline-personality-disorder to help them understand.
Now that you know that point, let’s move onto Section 1 – About your health professionals
Here you need to fill in the Name, Address, Profession, Phone number and the last appointment you had of any health care professional you have seen, or at least spoke to over the phone. You can use a Nurse, Doctor, Counsellor, Therapist, Psychologist and even members of CAMHS Mental Health Services. Even if it is someone you spoke to from a charity like ours, or Mind, just about anyone specialising in BPD or your mental health will do. And yes, this includes people you speak to online, from therapy sites like Better Help or even 7Cups.
You will need at least one full name and address here, so put your doctor down at the very least. You can always add sworn diagnoses from online sites or symptom checker sites under the guise of additional information. You do this by doing a screen capture or printing out any emails you have received, again using that additional information to your advantage.
PIP – PAGE 3
Page 3 is just extra room for you to put down another contact point for a medical professional. Be aware, that no matter WHO you put down someone at the DWP will contact them, so make sure you only include people who have seen you recently and know the related things you suffer with. Even if this is a nurse across the road who just so happens to be a friend, put their names down as they can be classed as a health professional. In fact, so can a physiotherapist, a member of the St John Ambulance and even someone going through medical training right now. Of course, the more knowledge that said person has about BPD the better.
PIP – PAGE 4
This page is where a lot of people go wrong. DO NOT just put down BPD. Remember when I told you it is an untrained, non-medical background person reviewing your form? They don’t know what BPD is. So break up your own BPD symptoms and put them here. Sure, all your symptoms might all have the same “Approximate start date” but each symptom will all be different.
BPD Example: The main symptoms of BPD can be: Severe Depression, Explosive Anger, Severe Anxiety, Self-Harming, Extreme Emotional Mood Swings and even Psychosis. Maybe you have one of them, maybe none of them, but breaking them down to the things that cause you problems in your daily life is the key to getting your application approved.
Something else to jot down here is if you are suffering (or prone to suffering from) any of the side-effects of the medication you are on. So let’s say for an example you take Fluoxetine, some of the side effects of using that are increased nervousness, severe anxiety, difficulty sleeping, nausea, diarrhoea, uncontrollable shaking of a part of the body, loss of appetite, excessive sweating and headaches (and those are just the common ones!)
PIP – PAGE 5
This page is little more than extra room to jot down any more symptoms you might have and run out of room for over the page. Again, try and fill this page in with as much detail as you can, especially as to how it affects your daily life.
BPD Example: If you happen to suffer from Psychosis (no matter how mild) you should definitely jot that down, but do add what it is and how it affects your life. So you might put “Psychosis – seeing and hearing things that are not there. It started in 1995 and affects me every day.” or maybe “Severe Depression – This has caused me to lose interesting in my hobbies as well as causing me to have panic attacks and even suicidal thoughts on a daily basis.”
As always, just try to be as in-depth as you can and never abbreviate anything.
PIP – PAGE 6
For this page, they are asking you how hard it is to cook and prepare food. One of the most important things to note here is when they say “This includes help you have and any help you need but don’t get.” as that information will come in handy for the 2nd question.
Anyway, question Q3a reads: “Do you need to use an aid or appliance to prepare or cook a simple meal?” and aid can be just about anything from an easy-grip handle on a saucepan to a liquid level indicator on a kettle. I think most people can easily say ‘YES’ to this question and be telling the pure, simple truth.
And the question Q3b reads: “Do you need help from another person to prepare or cook a simple meal?“. Now, even if you live on your own you can still tick the ‘YES’ box provided you struggle to the point that you can’t cook a meal by yourself. Maybe you get takeaways every night, that means Dave down the pizza shop is your help! Maybe you simply struggle on your own to the point that your meals are irregular, in that case, you would probably benefit from extra help with cooking and can still say ‘YES’ even if you don’t currently get that help.
Often with these questions, it is simply a matter of realising the pain and suffering you are truly in. How making a microwave meal depresses you making you feel even more depressed than you currently are. You just need to step out of your own shoes sometimes to realise the daily struggles you really do have.
The points awarded for this page are as follows…
0 Points – You can make a simple hot meal on your own without any special aids.
2 points – You can make a simple hot meal if you use a special aid (even if that is just a stool)
4 Points – You can only make a simple meal only if someone watched over you.
8 Points – You can’t make a simple hot meal at all, even with someone helping you.
PIP – PAGE 7
Having worked in the PIP assessment office for several years I think you would be shocked at how many people I see leave ALL of these “additional information” pages blank. But yet, they are the key to getting your application approved. It’s all very well ticking the boxes in the previous page, but WHY did you tick those boxes? The personal reviewing these forms doesn’t know, they don’t know anything besides what you tell them or send them.
With that in mind, here are some examples someone with BPD might put down on this page…
- I often have to get takeaway food as I am too depressed to cook.
- I have to get someone make my meals for me as I tend to over/under eat making myself more ill in the process.
- I tend not to cook my own meals as I can’t use a knife without at least thinking of self-harming.
- I am often too depressed to eat, so I don’t make frequent meals for myself.
- I can’t use an oven as I often dissociate from reality and end up causing fires.
- I can’t cook meals as I broke all my appliances in an uncontrollable fit of rage.
- My medication (insert name of it here) means I should not use appliances as one of the side-effects are blackouts
- My medication (insert name of it here) means I feel sleepy all the time so I can’t use an oven in fear of falling asleep.
Remember what I said, tell the truth, but if some of those things relate to you write them down!
Now, on the same page is in fact two questions and I really do think that is the case to trick people. But that is just my opinion. Mixed in with things like “how long does it take to cook a meal” & “can you use an oven safely” is also things like “do you experience any other difficulties, either during or after the activity, like pain, breathlessness or tiredness”. So you need to put down how you feel AFTER the meal as well, and after you have even tried to make one. If you get too depressed failing to try to cook for yourself write it down! Maybe you get out of breath, maybe you get tired standing at a cooker all that time. Anything you can think of that relates to your own health do put it down.
PIP – PAGE 8
Are you getting the idea of this form now? Most of the following pages are the same method of asking simple questions, then asking why you gave the answers you did. Its all well and good ticking ‘YES’ to any of them (so long as it is the truth), but without follow up information as to why you ticked ‘YES’ or ‘NO’ it was pointless ticking it in the first place. This lack of information is why people end up with face-to-face assessments as it is simply to gain additional information they did not include.
So, once again we are looking at 3 questions, this time relating to the act of eating and drinking, rather than cooking and preparing.
Question Q4a is: “Do you need to use an aid or appliance to eat or drink?”
Before you answer this question do consider the examples you have been given. Weighted cups? adapted cutlery? I personally use a weighted cup as it prevents me from spilling my coffee as I work and many people with BPD will use adapted cutlery, especially numb knives or even plastic knives as they might self-harm with a sharp one. If you use anything, no matter how trivial because of the symptoms you suffer from, go ahead and tick ‘YES’.
Question Q4b reads: “Do you use a feeding tube or similar device to eat or drink?”
To be honest, this question is a bit extreme, but a ‘YES’ here almost guarantees you will get awarded PIP because let’s face it, if you need to use a feeding tube to eat you are in a very bad way. Unless you have some other medical condition besides BPD this answer really should be a ‘NO’, of course, that might not be the case in your own personal circumstances.
The last question on this page Q4c is “Do you need help from another person to eat or drink?”
Does someone stand over you while you eat to make sure you are getting a good meal inside of you? Or maybe they cut your meat up for you as you can’t use a knife without trying to self-harm with it. If they do you should tick ‘YES’, even if that is little more than a friend who is concerned about you rather than someone with a medical background.
The points awarded for this page are as follows…
0 Points – You can cut your food, put food and drink in your mouth, chew and swallow without help
2 points – You need someone else to help you cut your food, or watch you as you eat.
4 Points – You need help cutting your food and someone to watch as you put food and drink in your mouth.
6 Points – You need someone else to help or you use an enteral tube to eat and drink.
10 Points – Someone else has to put food & drink into your mouth for you.
PIP – PAGE 9
This is again one of those pages a lot of people leave blank, even if they have put down that they have some difficulty eating food without help in the previous page. This page is here for you to explain the answers you gave on questions Q4a, Q4b and Q4c. Did you tick “Sometimes” in question Q4c? If you did this is the page to explain why you did gave that answer. As for all the pages, the more information you give them, the easier it will be for them to decide if your application was successful or not.
Here are some things a typical person with BPD might put down on this page…
- To be honest, due to my severe depression I am often too depressed to eat so I rely on others to make food for me and to remind me when to eat.
- Due to the medication, I am on (insert medication here) I can’t eat properly as one of the side effects is a lack of appetite
- Due to the medication, I am on (insert medication here) I can’t eat properly as one of the side effects is hand-shakes, so I struggle to hold a cup, knife and fork.
- Eating and drinking is something I have to rely on my partner for, as I often find myself dissociating with reality and can’t concentrate on anything.
- Sadly one of the side effects of my medication is feeling tired, so I find myself eating at irregular times unless I am reminded of when to eat by a friend/family member/partner.
- Due to self-harming, I can’t be trusted around hot appliances or knives, so I rely on other people to prepare my food for me.
- Sadly I find myself relying exclusively on takeaway as I am often too depressed to make my own food and drinks.
- I have been advised not to cook or use anything that is hot due to one of the side effects of my medication being blackouts.
As always, please note that those above are just examples of what someone with BPD might say, they are not to be copied onto your form unless they are applicable to your own circumstances and symptoms.
PIP – PAGE 10
The next part is all about managing treatments, with a heavy lean towards your medication. This page is not so much about the sorts of medication you take, more the management of it as the main idea is if you can’t look after your own medication, you are in need of the extra help on offer. Anyway….
Question Q5a reads: “Do you need to use an aid or appliance to monitor your health conditions or manage home treatments?”
Before you answer that question, take a look just under that question where it reads “for example a Dosette box for tablets”. What is a Dosette box? It is a small box with days of the week on each section to remind you what pills to take and when. Even if you yourself are the one who fills the box you are still using that aid and therefore the answer to that question would be “YES”. Many of us with BPD struggle to remember to take our medication and simple tools like a pillbox or even a timer are very handy and you can get one super cheap.
The next question Q5b reads: “Do you need help from another person to monitor your health conditions, take medications or manage home treatments?”
Does someone watch over you while you take your medication? Even if that is your mum, partner or just a friend you can answer ‘YES’ to that question. Yes, it even counts if that person reminding you to take the medications is an AI like Google, Alexa or Siri.
I think many of us with BPD could answer ‘YES’ to both these questions. It can be hard to know when to take pills most the time, especially when our heads are in a bad-space or just the wrong-space. Besides you can get a timer and a Dosette box online for less than a fiver, so they are well worth getting.
The points awarded for this page are as follows…
0 Points – You have no treatment or prescribed medicines at all.
1 point – You can only take your medicines correctly if you use an aid. (Pill box or a timer)
2 Points – You have to do some form of therapy, treatment or medication that takes up at least 3.5 hours in a single week.
4 Points – You have to do some form of therapy, treatment or medication that takes up at least 3.5 hours in a single week and someone to watch you as you do so.
6 Points – You have to do some form of therapy, treatment or medication that takes between 7 and 14 hours in a single week and someone to watch you as you do so.
8 Points – You have to do some form of therapy, treatment or medication that takes between 14 hours+ in a single week and someone to watch you as you do so.
PIP – PAGE 11
Once again we are left looking at a blank page, so you need to fill in why you gave the answers to question Q5a & Q5b that you did. Did you say ‘YES’ to the question “Do you need to use an aid or appliance to monitor your health conditions or manage home treatments?” If you did, why? What do you use, how do you use it and why do you use it?
Here are some examples of what someone with BPD might put down on this page.
Yes, I need to use a Dosette box for my tablets (insert names of tablets here) as otherwise, I would simply forget to take them.
My friend/partner/family member fills my pillbox for me, so I don’t try and overdose myself as I am prone to doing so.
Because of clouded thinking I get because of (insert name of medication here) I have to set phone reminders of when to take my pills.
Whenever I take one of my pills I then set an 8 hr timer with my Amazon Echo to remind me when to take the next one.
Because I am prone to suicidal thoughts I don’t trust myself not to overdose, so I get someone else to give me my medication.
Using those examples above, you should have a good idea of what to jot down on this page. Just remember to not leave it blank and to explain everything you ticked on the last page.
PIP – PAGE 12
Once again we are back to the simple questions, this time relating to washing and bathing ourselves. Something to consider here is that if you tell them you do indeed have troubles washing and bathing, but turn up in a face-to-face meeting looking clean and tidy it will go against you. So that might be something to consider should you need to attend one. Anyway, on with the questions…
So on with question Q6a: “Do you need to use an aid or appliance to wash and bathe yourself including rising a bath or shower?” Is there a chance you might need the shower rail due to blackouts caused by your medication? Do you sit on the seat in the shower because you are too tired to stand that long because the medication you are on makes you feel tired all the time? In both those situations, the answer to this question needs to be ‘YES’.
The next question Q6b is: “Do you need help from another person to wash and bathe?” Maybe someone stands over you while you are in the bath to stop you from trying to drown yourself, or maybe someone simply encourages you to get clean, like a friend/partner or family member. Again, in those situations, you should be answering ‘YES’ but only if that is the truth as it relates to your own personal circumstances.
The points awarded for this page are as follows…
0 Points – You can wash and bathe yourself without help.
2 points – You can only wash or bathe yourself if you use a special aid (like a grab rail or shower seat)
3 Points – You can only wash or bathe yourself if someone helps or at least watches over you as you do so.
4 Points – You need someone to help you wash your body
8 Points – You can’t wash or bathe yourself at all and you need someone to do.
PIP – PAGE 13
Here we go for what is probably one of the hardest pages on this form and that is talking about why you said you had issues with regards to questions Q7a & Q7b. If you answered ‘YES’ or even ‘Sometimes’ to any of those questions you will need to go into as much detail here as you can…
Someone with BPD might well put any od the see examples down on the sheet…
- Due to the medication I am on (insert name of medication here) for my Borderline personality disorder I need to wear incontinence pants as one of the side effects is a weak bladder and incontinence.
- Sadly I suffer from severe depression due to my Borderline personality disorder so I often soil myself when going through a bought of depression. Then I find myself so depressed at this I then get suicidal thoughts.
- Due to having flashbacks because of my childhood trauma, I find myself uncontrollably wetting and soiling myself on a regular bases. This then leads to my being depressed and that leads to more troubles with bladder control.
- I suffer from terrible anxiety to the point that it causes my bladder to empty itself at a moments notice. That is why I have been wearing incontinence pants for the last X amount of years/months/days.
Sure, this is indeed a very embarrassing subject, but this question is way more important than you would think. This line of questioning is the highest-scoring of all of them, so make sure you put down as much information as you can here, just so long as it is the truth of course.
PIP – PAGE 14
You can score enough points on this single page to get awarded standard rate PIP, so it is one of those questions that is more important than you might think, so don’t overlook it and read each line carefully.
The first question reads: “Do you use an aid or appliance to use the toilet or manage incontinence?“. Once again, you need to tell the truth relating to your own personal circumstances. An average person with BPD might answer “YES” to this question because of the type of medication they are on, with many mood stabilizers having a side-effect of incontinence or a weak bladder. Also, some people who often suffer from bouts of severe depression will find themselves wetting themselves, so you might be thinking of using incontinence pants, is so do put that down.
The next question reads: “Do you need help from another person to rise the toilet or manage incontinence?“. Relating that question to some of the symptoms of BPD you might well need help, even if it just means someone keeping an ear open for you from outside the toilet door like your partner, or a family member. Do you set a reminder when to go to the toilet as you often find yourself wetting your pants, or pooing them if you don’t? If so the answer is of course ‘YES’.
Again, I have to remind you to answer the question truthfully as they relate to your own struggles with toilet-related issues. Any suggest listed here are there to help advise you on the types of things to put down, not as advice to be copied and used in an unrelated context.
The points awarded for this page are as follows…
0 Points – You can get on and off the toilet yourself and clean yourself afterwards.
2 points – You can’t get on and off the toilet yourself and clean yourself afterwards without the use of special aids.
4 Points – You need someone to help you to get on or off the toilet, or they help clean you afterwards.
4 Points – You suffer from incontinence of the bladder or bowel and you need help to clean yourself afterwards.
8 Points – You suffer from incontinence of BOTH the bladder and bowel and you need help to clean yourself afterwards.
PIP – PAGE 15
Here we go for what is probably one of the hardest pages on this form and that is talking about why you said you had issues with regards to questions Q7a & Q7b. If you answered ‘YES’ or even ‘Sometimes’ to any of those questions you will need to go into as much detail here as you can…
Someone with BPD might well put any of these examples…
- Due to the medication I am on (insert name of medication here) for my Borderline personality disorder I need to wear incontinence pants as one of the side effects is a weak bladder and incontinence.
- Sadly I suffer from severe depression due to my Borderline personality disorder so I often soil myself when going through a bought of depression. Then I find myself so depressed at this I then get suicidal thoughts.
- Due to having flashbacks because of my childhood trauma, I find myself uncontrollably wetting and soiling myself on a regular bases. This then leads to my being depressed and that leads to more troubles with bladder control.
- I suffer from terrible anxiety to the point that it causes my bladder to empty itself at a moments notice. That is why I have been wearing incontinence pants for the last X amount of years/months/days.
Sure, this is indeed a very embarrassing subject, but this question is way more important than you would think. This line of questioning is the highest-scoring of all of them, so make sure you put down as much information as you can here, just so long as it is the truth of course.
PIP – PAGE 16
The good news is we are halfway through this form already, so let’s keep going and get this done(or maybe just have a small break here is you are feeling tired). This line of questioning is about your ability to dress and undress yourself…
The first question Q8a reads: “Do you need to use an aid or appliance to dress or undress?“. While many will simply tick ‘NO’ I think it is important to read the examples given to you here. Things like velcro fastenings on your shoes or a front fastening bra are not that rare and can be classed as aids, even if they were not brought for that purpose, they are still classed as such.
The next question Q8b is: “Do you need help from another person to dress or undress?” Reading the small print again you should be answering ‘YES’ to this question if someone picks out your clothes for you (maybe you are too depressed to do this for yourself) maybe you use an AI to set timers when to get dresses and when to get into your pyjamas. Maybe a friend, partner or family member help pick out clothes for you and even help you get dressed in some small way. Just have a good think about this question as it might surprise you how much you rely on someone without really knowing it.
While you should be having a good think about ALL the questions in this form this one and indeed the next few are ones to really think about and consider. By stopping for a moment and asking yourself “Does anyone help me get dressed?” means you might think about something that is not at the front of your thoughts.
The points awarded for this page are as follows…
0 Points – You can get dressed and undressed without aids
2 points – You can only get dressed or undressed with the use of aids
4 Points – You need someone to help you dress or undress.
8 Points – You cannot get dressed or undressed without help at all.
PIP – PAGE 17
To be honest, you should really be getting the hang of this form by now, so you probably know what you need to write down here. If you answered ‘YES’ or even ‘Sometimes’ to any of the questions on the previous page, you will need to explain that answer here.
Here are some things the average person with BPD might put down…
- Having Borderline personality disorder means I suffer from severe depression and I struggle to get dressed each day and I am unable to do so unless my partner/parent/friend helps me.
- Due to the medication I am on, one of the side-effects is tiredness so I often find I am unable to get dressed by myself so stay in my pyjamas most days.
- Due to my depression, I can often be so low in mood that I am unable to even get out of bed some days, let alone get dressed.
- One of the side-effects of the medication I am on is blackouts, so I need someone to watch over me as I get dressed, so I don’t fall and bang my head anywhere.
Even if the help you have getting dresses is small you should still consider saying ‘YES’ on the last sheet. A normal, fully able person doesn’t have someone pick their clothes out for them (according to the DWP) and they definitely don’t have velcro on their shoes, or especially not a front fastening bra. Take of that information as you will.
PIP – PAGE 18
For this line of questioning, we move on to your ability to communicate with other people. While these questions might not sound relevant to someone with BPD you should have a good hard think about the answers you are about to give…
The first question Q9a reads: “Do you need to use an aid or appliance to communicate with others?” While you might think this question only relates to things like hearing aids and voice synths, it could also mean you are too anxious to go out the house so you only talk to people through your computer. Yes, that could even mean if you use social media to talk to friends and strangers. Some of us with BPD are often too depressed to talk to others or have such high levels of anxiety we simply can’t talk to strangers even with aids.
The next question Q9b reads: “Do you need help from another person to communicate with others?“. Don’t simply dismiss this question, have a good think about your own daily life. Do you find yourself slurring your speech because of the medication you are on? Maybe those antidepressants you are on make you disassociate a lot from reality and simple instructions given to you are lost in your thoughts.
Just don’t rush your answer here, have a good think about anything relating to communicating with others before you do, especially if you don’t like to talk to people anyway and get a friend/family member to do so for you.
The points awarded for this page are as follows…
0 Points – You can speak and understand other people speaking without any help
2 points – You can only speak or hear people with an aid ( a Hearing aid or Communication book)
4 Points – You need someone to help you to speak more than one sentence or to understand someone saying more than one sentence.
8 Points – You need a specially trained person to help you to speak and/or to say a simple sentence or understand someone saying a simple sentence.
12 Points – You cannot speak or understand other people speaking at all even with help.
PIP – PAGE 19
You know what to do here. If you answered ‘YES’ or ‘Sometimes’ on the previous page (questions Q9a & Q9b) you will need to explain why you did that here. As with all these types of pages do try and put down as MUCH information as you can. The more information you give, the easier it will be for the DPW to approve your application…
Some of us with BPD might put down any of these following examples…
- Due to the high-levels of anxiety, I suffer from with Borderline personality disorder I am unable to communicate directly with other people as I get panic attacks and are unable to talk sometimes. This then leads to severe depression because I beat myself up about it to the point I become suicidal.
- Due to my Borderline personality disorder, I am unable to directly communicate with other people because I am suffering from severe depression. This means I can’t even answer the door when people come around, which in turn only makes me even more depressed.
- Due to the medication, I am on I often find myself feeling very tired and at times my speech does become slurred. At that point, my partner/friend/family member has to do the talking for me.
Using those above examples you should be able to get the gist of what to say here, but do put things in your own words as those issues relate to your own daily struggles with regards to communicating with others.
PIP – PAGE 20
For this next line of questioning, we are looking at reading and your own ability to understand basic signs and words.
The first question Q10a reads: “Do you need to use an aid or appliance other than spectacles or contact lenses to read signs, symbols and other words?” You need to ask yourself, do you struggle to read words from a jar or small print from a computer screen? Maybe you find yourself using your phone’s camera as a magnifying lens just to read them. If so you should be putting a ‘Sometimes’ down here at the very least, depending on the frequency you do so.
The next question Q10b reads: “Do you need help from another person to read or understand signs, symbols and words?“. Once again, have a good think about your answer here. Even if it is on occasion to you struggle to read signs and symbols because you suffer from mild psychosis caused by your BPD, or maybe the medication you are has a nasty side-effect of ‘blurred vision’. In each of those scenarios, you will probably need (or would like) someone to read them/describe them for you. If that is the case a ‘YES’ or even just ‘Sometimes’ is the right answer to put here.
When filling out this form it is often too easy to simply dismiss a question because you feel it is not relevant to yourself. But by taking a moment, to really think about the questions and the examples the page gives you, you might suddenly realise ‘YES!” I do have issues seeing sometimes after taking my medication, yes I do rely on my friend/partner/family member to read the small print on my medication leaflet. Even if that help is small, the answer will still be the truth.
The points awarded for this page are as follows…
0 Points – You can read and understand written sentences or understand basic symbols without aids.
2 points – You can only read or understand written sentences or understand basic symbols if you use a special aid (Larger font size, Screen reader or Magnifying Glass).
4 Points – You can only read or understand written sentences or understand basic symbols if someone helps or encourages you.
8 Points – You can’t read or understand written sentences or understand basic symbols at all.
PIP – PAGE 21
You know the drill by now, if you answered ‘YES’ or ‘Sometimes’ to questions Q10a or Q10b you will need to give your reasons why on this page. Just try and give as much information as you can, the more the merrier.
Here are some examples someone with BPD might put down on this page…
- Due to the medication, I am on for Borderline personality disorder I find myself unable to see things clearly due to the anti-depressant medication blurring my vision.
- Due to my Borderline personality disorder, I suffer from psychosis which means I often find myself seeing and hearing things that are not really there. So I need to use my friend/partner/family member to tell me what is real and what is not This often means I read things wrong and even read things that are not there in the first place.
- The medication I am on for my Borderline personality disorder (insert name of medication here) makes spots and flashes appear in my eyes as that is a side-effect of taking them.
Using those above examples above you should be able to get the gist of what to say as it relates to your own daily struggles with regards to reading simple signs and instructions.
PIP – PAGE 22
Now we move onto something, many of us with BPD could easily relate to and that is troubles mixing with other people. So let’s jump into those questions and break them down a bit to make them easier to understand…
Question Q11a reads: “Do you need another person to help you to mix with other people?“. Even if it means you would prefer to go outside with a friend/partner rather than on your own because of your anxiety you should put down a ‘YES’ here. You also need to put down a ‘YES’ here if you don’t go out at all, as you might go out and meet people if you had extra help from someone, even if you don’t have that kind of help at the moment.
The next question Q11b reads: “Do you find it difficult to mix with other people because of severe anxiety or distress?” I think a lot of us these days could answer ‘YES’ to this question without thinking too much about it, but of course, you should only answer with the truth as it relates to your own circumstances.
It is all too easy to put down ‘YES’ or ‘Sometimes’ on this page, but on the next page, you will need to explain why you have done so in as much detail as you can.
The points awarded for this page are as follows…
0 Points – You can socialise with other people without any help.
2 points – You can only socialise with other people with help or encouragement form anyone.
4 Points – You need someone you know well to help you to socialise with other people.
8 Points – You can’t socialise with other people at all because it makes you hurt yourself or other people.
PIP – PAGE 23
If you gave the answer of ‘YES’ or ‘Sometimes’ on the previous page you will need to list your reasons why here. As per usual, do try and go into as much detail as you can as it will help DWP make the right decision…
Here are just some examples of what someone with BPD might put down on this page…
- Due to my panic attacks, I simply don’t leave the house unless I absolutely have to, even when I do I don’t communicate with others.
- My severe depression and anxiety caused by my Borderline personality disorder means I am unable to communicate with others on any level.
- I often find myself suffering from bouts of rage, even with close friends so I tend not to communicate with others unless I absolutely have to. Even when I do I find myself struggling.
- One of the main side effects of the medication, I am on (insert name of medication here) is heightened anxiety levels, leaving me unable to communicate with others without help from someone else, the help of which I currently do not get.
I think most people would be truly shocked at the number of people that do indeed answer ‘YES’ or ‘Sometimes’ on the previous page, without writing down anything on this page! You need to put at least something down here as answering with something as simple as “I have BPD” is not good enough and the answers you gave on the previous page will be dismissed.
PIP – PAGE 24
We move onto your ability to make decisions about your money, do you have someone look after your money for you, do you struggle to stay on top of bills to the point that you often find yourself short at the end of the week/month? If so these questions will relate to you…
Question Q12a reads: “Do you need someone else to help you to understand how much things cost when you buy them or how much change you’ll receive?” While you might not think that relates to you, even if you find yourself not getting help currently, but desperately needing help because of financial difficulty you can still put down a ‘YES’ here.
The next question Q12b reads: “Do you need someone else to help to manage your household budgets, pay bills or plan future purchases?” Given that one of the most common symptoms of BPD is impulsive behaviour (which often causes us to overspend) I think many of us with BPD could easily find ourself needing help from someone to manage our finances. Even if that someone is just a partner or family member you should still be ticking ‘YES’ here.
Living with BPD often means I find myself asking “Do I really need that giant inflatable flamingo from Amazon, more than I need to pay my bills! Sadly for many of us with BPD that is not a joke as we often get into financial difficulties brought about because of our own impulsive behaviour.
The points awarded for this page are as follows…
0 Points – You can budget and pay your bills without help/advice.
2 points – You can only budget and pay your bills with help/advice.
4 Points – You can only add up your shopping and see if you have the correct change if someone helps you.
6 Points – You can’t add up your shopping and see if you have the correct change even with help.
PIP – PAGE 25
Once again we are looking at a blank page which needs filling in you answered ‘YES’ or ‘Sometimes’ on the previous page (questions Q12a & Q12b). Remember to put down as much information as you can with regards to your lack of ability to managing your own finances.
Someone with BPD might put down the following…
- I am unable to take care of my own bank account because my Borderline personality disorder means I have severe impulsive behaviours and I often find I spend my money on things I don’t need.
- Dealing with money is something I can do because of my depression. I get a friend/partner/family member to take care of it for me so I have enough to pay my bills.
- I currently don’t get any help with regards to spending/maintaining my money and as a result, I am in debt and struggling daily.
The antidepressant medication I am on because of my Borderline personality disorder could my judgment, so I have someone else look after my money for me. - Due to my drug habit caused by my Borderline personality disorder, I am unable to maintain my own money matters and get someone to help me out.
Using those above samples you should be able to get the gist of what to say as it relates to your own daily struggles with regards to handling money and your bank account as a whole.
PIP – PAGE 26
The next line of questioning relates to your own ability do go outside to somewhere you know well and somewhere new to you. Let’s break down each question and see that they really mean…
The first question Q13a reads: “Do you need help from another person to plan a route to somewhere you know well?” This is more a question on your own memory than anything else. But in the small print of this question, it does give the example of “need to be encouraged to go out and have someone with you when going out to reassure you?” So if your anxiety levels are so high, you get a little panicky about going out the house, even if that is to somewhere you know well you should still be answering ‘YES’ to this question.
The next question Q13b reads: “Do you need help getting to somewhere you don’t know well?“. To be honest, if you answered ‘YES’ to the previous question, you should definitely be answering ‘YES’ to this one as well. If you can’t go out to somewhere you know well without some form of help, you definitely can’t do it to somewhere you don’t.
Many of us with BPD need that extra push to perform daily tasks, especially when it comes to going out of the house. It is something many of us simply can’t do and it’s an easy ‘YES’ to this question for most of us.
The points awarded for this page are as follows…
0 Points – You can go somewhere new without help.
2 points – You can’t go anywhere without help or encouragement.
4 Points – Going anywhere without help or encouragement causes you distress.
8 Points – You can’t plan to go anywhere without help or advice
10 Points – You can’t leave the house because of the distress it causes you or others around you.
PIP – PAGE 27
You might instantly notice that this page is a little different than most, but the same principle applies as it does to all the other previous pages. So let’s get that bouns question out of the way first…
Question Q13c reads: “Are you unable to go out because of severe anxiety or distress?“. As with questions Q11a & Q11b, I think 99% of us with BPD would easily answer ‘YES’ to this question. While this is a single tick of an answer, the next part on the same page needs you to add a lot more information…
If you answered ‘YES’ or ‘Sometimes’ to questions Q13a, Q13b and Q13c (the one on this page) you will need to give your reasons why here. Again, “because I have BPD” is not an answer, you need to give much more detail than that.
Here are some examples of what some with BPD might put down…
- I never leave the house because I suffer from severe depression and anxiety caused by my Borderline personality disorder.
- I have been advised not to leave the house alone as I suffer from psychosis which causes me to see and hear things that are not there. So it could be dangerous for me to do so, especially for members of the public as I tend to lash out when scared.
- Sadly my Borderline personality disorder causes me to be aggressive and even violent with other people for no reason of their own, so I very rarely leave the house unless I have to.
- My Borderline personality disorder medication makes me feel very tired and dissociated with reality, so I don’t/can’t leave the house, especially when alone.
Using those above samples you should be able to get the gist of what to say as it relates to your own daily struggles with regards to the simple act of leaving the house which I do know many of us with BPD struggle with.
PIP – PAGE 28
So we move onto questions about moving around and indeed getting around. While many of us with BPD might skip over the following questions it is worth reading them carefully and really taking in what they are asking you. Anyway, let’s get on with the questions and break them down a bit…
Question Q14a reads: “How far can you walk taking into account any aids you use?” What many people don’t consider about this question is that it is asking it in both a physical term as well as a mental one. While you might well be able to psychically walk 200 meters or more, you might not be able to do so mentally. By ticking the box “Less than 20 meters” all you are saying is that you can’t mentally leave the house, let alone go further than that. So do think long and hard about this one.
The next question Q14b reads: “Do you use an aid or appliance to walk?“Now, before you dismiss this question as unrelating to your own conditions, do consider the sorts of things they class as “AID” of which a walking stick is one of them. Maybe you have always used a walking stick, maybe you just carry one for your own safety, or maybe you are prone to feeling dizzy because of your medication. There is a multitude of reasons you might be using something as simple as was walking stick and if you do you can safely answer ‘YES’ to this question.
And the last question on this page is Q14c which reads: “Do you use a wheelchair or similar device to move around safely, reliably and repeatedly and in a reasonable amount of time?” I think most people will be answering ‘NO’ to this one as it is quite specific and not something most people with BPD will relate to. But some people do indeed need a wheelchair, even it is only now and again. If you do, tick that ‘YES’ box.
As with all the questions on this form, but especially these ones do take a good, long think about your answers and indeed the questions they are asking you. Sometimes we just learn to live with daily struggles and don’t notice them as struggles at all. That is why stopping to consider each question and answer is essential.
The points awarded for this page are as follows…
0 Points – You can move more than 200 metres without help.
2 points – You can’t move more than 200 metres without the help of aids (Walking stick, Walking frame).
4 Points – You can’t move more than between 50 and 200 without aids.
8 Points – You can only move between 20 and 50 metres without the use of aids.
12 Points – You can’t only move between 1 and 20 metres without the use of aids.
PIP – PAGE 29
You know the drill here. If you put down anything in question Q14 as well as a ‘YES or ‘Sometimes’ in questions Q14b & Q14c you will need to give your reasons why here. Just try and give as much detail as you can no matter how trivial you might think it is.
Here are some examples of what someone with BPD might note down here…
- Due to the medication, I am on (insert medication name here) one of the main side-effects is being tried easily this prevents me from being too far away from the house without someone beside me to keep an eye on me.
- Due to my severe depression causes by my Borderline personality disorder, I am unable to move around easily as I often don’t leave my own bedroom because of it.
- Because I suffer from psychosis I am not able to walk around without someone next to me telling me what is real and what is not. It could even be dangerous for me to go too far on my own due to violent outbursts and uncontrollable rage.
- My depression and anxiety levels are sometimes so high that I can’t even consider leaving the house on my own. I need a friend/partner/family member with me at all times.
Using those above examples you should be able to get a rough idea what to note down here. Just remember not to leave it blank if you have an issue with regards to your mobility, no matter how small it might seem to you.
PIP – PAGE 30
While this page doesn’t seem important and it sure doesn’t score you any extra points, it is best to put down something here, even if it just covers the sorts of things you have already put down.
Someone with BPD might note down the following…
- Borderline personality disorder affects my life in so many ways I can’t name them all. But every day is a struggle from simply going to the toilet to getting up in the mornings. The medication I am on (insert name here) doesn’t help much either with some of the known side effects being (insert known side-effect of medication here, even the more uncommon ones)
- Living with Borderline personality disorder is like a living hell. I go from being suicidal to manic happiness 10 times a day and this makes me very tired. This extra money might well change my life for the better and allow me to get the extra help I need.
- Having Borderline personality disorder means I suffer from severe depression and terrible anxiety every single day. It affects my life so much that I often feel I have no life at all and that has lead to the point of having suicidal thoughts many times in a single day plus terrible self-harming.
- Where do I start about my life with Borderline personality disorder? From suicidal thoughts every day, to self-harming to seeing and hearing things that are not there. It affects every aspect of my life and I hate having it.
The good news is that is now the end of the main questions. While we do have one more question to answer it is nowhere near as hard as the others we have already filled in.
PIP – PAGE 31
It has been a long hard slog, but we are finally on the last question of this form, but it seems to not be a question at all. The line above the blank spaces asks us “Tell us about any help you (or someone you bring with you) would need if you have to go for a face-to-face consultation?
If you are happy to attend that said face-to-face consultation (most of which are done over the phone these days) then you can simply leave it blank. However, if you feel it would cause you mental or physical pain to do so you need to inform them of such and go into details about it.
Some of us with BPD might put down the following…
- While I am happy to have a face-to-face meeting I need to warn you that I am prone to emotional outbursts due to my Borderline personality disorder. So you might need to have a security guard in the room while I have it.
- Due to having Borderline personality disorder one of the main symptoms is psychosis, so a face-to-face meeting might be impractical and even dangerous to the person doing the interview. While I am happy to go along with any information or meetings DWP need it is something I need to advise you on.
- I feel a face-to-face might well trigger my depression further to the point of suicide, so a telephone conversion or email conversation would be much better for me.
- I am happy to attend any face-to-face meeting, but due to the medication I am on (insert name of medication here) I often suffer from blackouts/falling asleep in an instant/disassociating with reality which might well happen during the interview, so you should be aware.
- I will need my friend/partner/family member with me at all times because with Borderline personality disorder I struggle to understand questions properly and my anxiety levels often mean they will have to do all the answering for me.
And breath out and relax. We are at the end of the questions, now all we need to do is to sign and date the form…
PIP – PAGE 32
All you have to do now is sign your name, print your name and jot down the date you finished the form.
PIP – PAGE 33
Then all that remains now is you need to send it off often in the prepaid envelope provided, but it might also have to go elsewhere if there is an included letter telling you so, or the address printed here is different. Always sent it to the address named here and nowhere else (if there is an address here). The address on the pre-paid envelope will often match it, but it is always worth checking.
As always, do give us feedback with regards to this post in the comments below and know that you can always email us for extra help if you need it. Just us the Contact Us page or hit us up on any of the social media channels. This page is here to help you, so the better we can make it, the better it will be for you.
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