Hi everyone. I am just inquiring if anyone can tell me please what to expect in the assessment phase of applying for the DSP which i have coming up in a few wks time. I have been medically diagnosed by my psychiatrist in agreement with my pyshcologist of Bipolar with Dissociative State Disorder, Major Depressive Disorder and Panic Disorder (what a combo!). I have suffered from mental illness in varying degrees of severity since i was teenager and also evidence of having mental health issues in primary school where i was often needed to see a school counselor twice a week back then as i was quite disruptive. I drifted through life not really getting it seen too but it wasn't until i was in my early 30s that the process started where i was initially diagnosed as Bipolar for the first time i was put on meds however i stopped seeking treatment and medication again through my 30s and early forties until 4 years ago where it was apparent not only to me but friends, family and partner that medical intervention was needed. In that 4 years the illness has progressively worsened but also in those years im lucky to have found the right medical supports in my GP, Psychologist, Psychiatrist who have helped me with the necessary medical supports including medications, counselling. I have had 4 voluntary admissions to an inpatient unit which quite frankly didn't really help my circumstances. Im doing all the right things to help manage my illness i do not drink, smoke or take drugs and try to keep fit by going to the gym regularly, compliant with my meds, doctors appointments and quiet a few medication changes to help try and manage my illness. However despite this my mental illness has still not improved. My doctors have indicated that they thought my mental illness would not improve and were now looking at just managing it on a daily basis as best as we all could. I then applied for the DSP with supporting letters and documentation from my GP, PSychologist and Psychiatrist all indicating their support for my application for the DSP plus documentation that Centalink has on my records indicating my mental illness has stopped me for being fit enough to look for work in the past 4 years and now i have the assessment coming up which i am quite anxious about. Any help or advice would be appreciated. Thank you for allowing to post this message Hope it's not to much info regarding my circumstances. Regards Pad

Dear Pad,

Welcome to the caring and supportive world of Beyondblue forums. I'm sorry you have not received a response as yet. Its most unusual but does happen occasionally if nobody knows quite how to help. Unfortunately I have no experience with Centrelink or DSP procedures myself, so am unable to assist with that.

But by me welcoming you now it will bump your thread back to a recent post, and I'm hoping another member may now spot it and be able to offer helpful advice.

Yes you're right ... quite the combo with your diagnosis of mental illnesses. It does sound as though you have a very supportive mental health team behind you, which is so important. I am diagnosed with PTSD and associated anxiety and depression. Its very hard living with mental illnesses, and difficult to establish or maintain trusted friendships. You did not say whether you have a supportive family and friends around you. I hope you do.

Please know that you can post here any time you would like to. The people here are very understanding, supportive and helpful. We have a lot of other members here who have your illnesses, not necessarily all of them, but certainly some. I would advise that you have a read of some of the other existing threads in the Depression section as you will find a lot of helpful information there. Feel free to reply to any of those threads as well.

I hope you will not be put off by a slow response to your post, and will post again. I'd love to hear more from you. If I dont hear further from you however, I wish you every success with your DSP application. Just be honest and upfront and try not to get too anxious about the process. I wish you well.

Amanda

Thank u for your reply Mandy. I had the assessment yesterday which went well. The assessor indicated at the end of the interview that from her end she doesn't see any problems with my application. She has to have phone calls to my doctors, submit her report from my interview to centrelink who will then contact me between 4 to 6 weeks hopefully approving my application. :-)

Hello again Pad, and thanks for letting us know how it went yesterday. It all sounds very promising, and I'm very pleased for you.

Have you had a chance to have a look around some of the other threads here on the Forums? You may find it helpful to stick around and have the support from others here who are in a similar situation as yourself. I think you would find it useful as an additional resource, on top of the professional support you already have available to you. As I mentioned before, we have a number of other people here with bipolar, for example. You might find it interesting to have a look at the following thread, which was started by a lady diagnosed with Bipolar a little over 2 years ago. There are now a number of regular contributors to the thread, with lots of tips and helpful advice from other bipolar sufferers. Its also a good way of getting to know some other regular members. If you're interested,in the search bar within this website, type in: This Bipolar Life. It is contained within the Staying Well section of the Forums. I hope you will go there and have a read, and please post a comment so others can start to support you too.

Also have a look at some of the Depression threads in the Forums for any that interest you. And the Resources offered within the Beyondblue resource section I have personally also found very good. Have a look at The Facts section below in the blue section. Select the required topic, ie Depression for Bipolar, or Anxiety for Panic Attacks and have a browse. I expect you know most of it, but sometimes we can pick up some extra little tips or tricks to help out. Every little bit helps.

Again ... well done Pad ... on getting through the difficult process of DSP applications. Hope you hear something official very soon, preferrably nearer the 4 weeks than the 6.

Amanda xx

Thank you for the advice will do. :-)

Hi again. I've now been booked in for a Disability Medical Assessment. The assessment takes place with a government-contracted Doctor this time being a clinical psychologist. I'm a bit worried as i was before the assessment but hoping this assessment will go okay and be the last assessment. If anyone has more advice or help what to expect at this next stage of the DSP application be much appreciated. Thank u