Just realised my evidence could go against me...

Dear B&W,

I had an autism assessment in October and I received my diagnosis and letter shortly after. I asked the psychiatrist to alter parts of the letter because I felt they weren't accurate and she did put a 'Note:' on certain parts of the letter.

On one part of the letter, which goes into repetitive interests, one of my interests is 'video games'. She wrote, spends most of his time 'playing video games' - which isn't true. If anything, I spend most of the day in bed or feeling low/anxious. So I explained to the psychiatrist that I was actually advised by the crisis team to find something to distract myself.

It is known that autistic people need things to thought block mental health issues. I was also told by my therapist that using online zoom or video games could increase social connection and less isolation / feelings of being overwhelmed.

Now I decided to include the report in my PIP review because I felt there was a lot of evidence of mental health deterioration over the past few years. But as you can imagine, I'm completely worried about how this will 'look' especially given I also claim ESA and I'm trying to adhere to my treatment plan to get better.

Any advice?

Well, in the letter it also describes my other diagnoses.

1. Autism Spectrum Disorder (level 1)
2. ADHD (combined)
3. Anxiety Disorder
4. Depression
5. Emotionally unstable personality disorder
6. Bipolar affective disorder

The letter does also contain advice for referral to an occupational therapist. I was actually rejected by occupational therapy because they said I have mental health needs to address first.

The gaming was suggested by the crisis team, as something to distract myself when I’m having suicidal thoughts.

The majority of the time I am not motivated to cook or I just grab a ready meal if I’ve forgotten to eat. The process of sequencing a meal is harder than watching TV.

I would argue that many ASD/ADHD’ers probably are distracted by other activities that they don’t eat.

On the other hand, I have seizures so preparing a meal could be dangerous for me.

If my mood is low, I won’t prepare a meal or go days without changing my clothes (which is another feature of autism / adhd).

I’m just thinking of possibly ways to answer the questions.

Chat GPT gave me this answer:

Not necessarily. While playing a computer game and cooking both involve using hands and following instructions, they are different activities that require different skill sets and knowledge.

Playing a computer game typically involves hand-eye coordination, problem-solving, decision-making, and reaction time within a virtual environment. Cooking, on the other hand, involves understanding recipes, using kitchen tools safely, managing time, and applying cooking techniques to prepare a meal.

While some skills, such as hand-eye coordination and following instructions, may transfer between the two activities, proficiency in one does not guarantee proficiency in the other. Success in cooking requires specific knowledge of ingredients, cooking methods, and food safety practices, which may not be directly related to skills developed through playing computer games.

However, with practice, patience, and willingness to learn, individuals who enjoy playing computer games can certainly learn to cook and prepare simple meals for themselves. It's a matter of gaining experience, familiarizing oneself with basic cooking techniques and recipes, and gradually building confidence in the kitchen.

Any other advice in relation to what I’ve explained?

Rethink Mental Illness does have a booklet about how to distract yourself from suicidal thoughts.

Hi, just happened to stumble onto your post while looking for something else and thought I would weigh in as a fellow depressed AuDHD-er, who also has problems feeding themselves and likes to game.

I feel you with the inaccurate notes. Mine says I met my partner an an "Iron-Man Club" and that as a child my parent jokingly made me eat "dog poo". It was anime club and dog food. (I know, that last one still isn't great, but there's a big difference!)

Video Game Comment
Change as needed/what is true for you - this is just how I would describe your situation given what you have said, with a few filler details thrown in to make it make more sense, appreciate that might not be your situation:

Hi DWP, I would like to briefly explain that while my assessor sought to provide an accurate report, there were some comments that I felt were misinterpreted during the assessment. I spoke with my assessor at the time who chose to add a note to the report rather than remove the inaccuracies highlighted to them as requested, however upon re-reading the report after adding this to my PIP claim I feel my assessors note does little to clarify my situation and the details were not updated in a way that avoids assumptions or unconscious bias, and this is causing me to become anxious about any impact it may have to my claim.

To clarify, this statement is misleading: spends most of his time 'playing video games' While it is true that I play video games, this was something that was suggested by the crisis team as a way to distract me from my suicidal thoughts and is a part of my recovery plan and effort to get mentally better. Video games are easily transportable which means if I do not have the energy to get out of bed, I can try to distract myself from these distressing thoughts by playing video games on my phone or a portable console that is within reach on my bedside table and requires minimal effort to access as an engaging activity. I spend most of my time in bed feeling low and anxious and cannot motivate myself to get up, but may be able to find the motivation, improve my mood or distract myself if, for example, I play online with a friend. This was also encouraged by the crisis team as a way to keep in contact with my friends, as I am more likely to isolate myself in times of depression and find it difficult to reach out and ask for help when needed.

Given the anxiety this is causing me I will be emailing the assessor to request a second time that my assessment be updated to accurately reflect my situation as I am worried about the impact it will have on any future claims, and I will send yourselves a copy once obtained. If you have any queries about any statements in the report please let me know and I will clarify this with you.

Videogames, neurodiversity and existing in general
While I'm sure Gordon knows his stuff on how DWP will interpret gaming abilities compared to every day living, I want to point out two words: unconscious bias and ableism. Just because someone can play video games that require concentration, sitting still for long periods, co-ordination, etc - it does not mean a person can then apply those things to all other areas of their life. (Not that I think Gordon was saying that, I get he was giving an example of how it could be interpreted by DWP)

Here is how I would explain the difference if it came into question:

I am able to play video games because this gives my brain dopamine which my brain is not able to produce in the same way as those without my disability, however, activities that provide this can become a hyper focus which is a symptom of my ADHD and can impact on my health and ability to take care of myself. [Explain how a hyper focus would impact you] For example, I told myself I would only play a video game for X amount of time and ended up playing for X amount of time. This meant that I [missed an appointment/didn't have energy left to cook for myself/I became overstimulate and had to lie down or take a nap].

I am often unable to motivate myself to cook myself a meal because cooking does not give me dopamine and I feel too low, and it instead makes me feel overwhelmed at all the steps needed to cook, including the preparation and clean up. This means I often have micro meals in the microwave for something that is quick and easy that will give my body energy, but on my worst days this is also too much effort and I go without. This happens X amount. Preparing a meal can also be dangerous due to my seizures as I do not know when they are going to happen, and could injure myself if holding a sharp knife or cause a fire. [Note any "well that could have gone badly" experiences].

My lack of motivation also causes me to wear the same clothes regularly for days on end, even if I want to wear clean clothes. [Note number of days]. Executive dysfunction relating to ADHD means that at times I am unable to carry out tasks despite wanting or needing to, which can lead to negative consequences that impact me and make me feel even worse about my situation.

...Yeah, I'm gong to stop now because, funnily enough, it's been about 2 hours and this has become a hyperfocus. (I know, I take ages to type stuff and spend way to long thinking about how to word things!) I need to go eat food and lie down now, but I hope this is at least somewhat useful. Sorry for any over explaining or if it isn't what you were looking for.

Side note: I recommend "yfood" as a food replacement milkshake if you're into that sort of thing. Seems to be working for me at the moment).

PS: Yup, spent a further 10 minutes re-reading this before hitting submit and changing things that did not matter in the slightest. Sigh Goodbye!

Brb over thinking my username,

That is very accurate to my true situation. I almost feel like you may actually be living with me!