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GP refuses sick note for OCD


Guest zakisbak

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Guest zakisbak

Hi
I am appealing for ESA and asked my GP for a sick note.
Her reply included something like "I won't give long term sick note for OCD".
She did give me a 4 week one,but I fear next time she may refuse.

Thinking about it after,I said to myself,hang on,why wouldn't she give a long term sick note for OCD?
It is after all a serious mental illness,regarded by the World Health Organization as one of the most debilitating illnesses it is possible to have.

I'm quite shocked at her to be honest,to say the least.

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  • 1 year later...

I think 4 weeks is a reasonable amount of time. Things could change - I'm sure if you are still struggling when you next see her she will give you another 4 weeks. I gues it also means you will have to see her - it's a good way of her knowing how you are doing - better or not so well.

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Thinking about it after,I said to myself,hang on,why wouldn't she give a long term sick note for OCD?

It is after all a serious mental illness,regarded by the World Health Organization as one of the most debilitating illnesses it is possible to have.

I'm quite shocked at her to be honest,to say the least.

What you've posted raises some interesting questions about your expectations for recovery.

What sort of timescale have you got in your own mind for recovery?

Everybody has a 'secret' idea of how long they think it's going to take. Sometimes it's realistic, sometimes it's a 'worst-case scenario' fear. For some there's a belief 'this it it for me, I'll never be well again.'

You may never admit it aloud, may deny it outright if asked face to face, but if you secretly believe you'll not get better for another 6 months, or 2 years, or have an expectation you'll never recover... it can become a self-fulfilling prophecy.

CBT only starts to work when you aren't fighting it on some level. When someone has a belief they won't get well for another 6 months, no matter how hard they work at their recovery it's often the way that things don't improve much for the first 5 months of trying! As though there's a unconscious saboteur in your head.

So knowing what you 'secretly think' is very important.

What duration were you hoping (expecting) her to put on the sick note?

Do you think the ESA appeal plays any part in your mental calculations? I'm not saying it does, just another thing to consider in your own mind.

Becoming aware of our 'secret' expectations can be very helpful when it comes to helping ourselves. It can reveal something that's been holding us back we weren't aware of, or give us a new line of attack on the way we're framing thoughts in our heads which can help move us forward in the fight against OCD.

Always worth listening closely to yourself to hear what you're saying between the lines. :)

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  • 2 weeks later...

I think that's shocking , my psychiatrist , now thankfully replaced , refused to write me a support letter , despite my previous consultant doing one on the spot ......ocd is a serious illness and I threatened her with a letter to the BMA for gross negligence , as it was a new doctor replied straight away and did one

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Guest OCD_Est.1982

Becoming aware of our 'secret' expectations can be very helpful when it comes to helping ourselves. It can reveal something that's been holding us back we weren't aware of, or give us a new line of attack on the way we're framing thoughts in our heads which can help move us forward in the fight against OCD.

Always worth listening closely to yourself to hear what you're saying between the lines. :)

It can work both ways. Having unrealistic expectations of how quickly you will recover can also be detrimental. Every medical professional I have seen has told me there is not a quick fix for this. It is a gradual on going process in exactly the same way that the OCD gradually took control.

Zakisbak when I applied for Incapacity Benefit, which has now become Employment Support Allowance, it tools several months to be approved. My GP provided me with sick notes of 4 weeks at a time until I switched to IB (ESA). Although that was over 10 years ago for me, I believe it's still standard practice from what I've heard, so don't worry.

Good luck and I hope you get appropriate treatment soon.

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The vast majority of people with serious mental health problems , and ocd most certainly is , need some time on benefits and with very good reason ....if its very bad you simply cannot work and pushing yourself to do so can lead to breakdown and further long term Ill health

A safety net should be there for those that relapse and it once was but don't believe for one minute this current government cares about those with enduring mental health problems .......the introduction of pip is a very worrying move

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