PIP TELEPHONE ASSESSMENT

This is the third time of trying as my messages seem to be disappearing. Forgive me if this message keeps coming up.

I've just had a PIP telephone assessment this morning which was very strange. i have severe depression anxiety for a long time but it has gotten a lot worse due to a lot of trauma over the past ten years. It has affected me to the point I have become a recluse and have not seen anyone over the past year apart from doctors face to face. I've only been out twice in the past year and once was to a hospital appointment which I was taken to by charity volunteer drivers who take vulnerable patients to medical appointments and go with them/handle paperwork etc.

The assessor kept asking me why I couldn't see anyone and i said "i couldn't handle it" due to trauma and severe upset. She then said how often i had spent time with my friends, and I said again, I have one friend left (a lot of bereavement has taken all my family/friends in the past ten years.) This friend phones me every day and he supports me with my depression anxiety but I won't let him come as "I can't handle it."

I'm not sure "I can't handle it" will count as severe psychological distress? The assessment was for an hour and I did become very distressed and h ad to have a break. I guess my question is do you think the assessor could say my social withdrawal was because of repeated bereavement and my not going out is because of depression not severe pscyhological distress?

The tone and manner of the assessor was far less friendly than my previous PIP assessment. Nothing has changed in my situaiton and I was given enhanced daily living and regular mobility then.

Also, do you think it would be worth writing to the decision maker to say I cannot handle face to face interaction because of severe distress or would this be self evidence. (I had doctors notes and reports from Community Mental Health team as evidence.) Thanks. Hope this gets through and again apologise if it has repeated.