A LEADING figure in the south Cumbria mental health community says benefit assessments are a "process of humiliation" for those who experience them.

Jane Gordon, chief executive of Ulverston Mind, says an increasing number of clients come to them with their conditions exacerbated because of changes to the benefit system.

Nationally Mind has said for nine out of 10 benefit claimants assessments for Personal Independence Payments made their mental health worse.

Ms Gordon said: "We have had people here concerned who have applied for benefits because they cannot work. It's a process of humiliation. The process makes them feel like they are not a credible person."

PIP was introduced in 2013 as a replacement for Disability Living Allowance. People being assessed for PIP are seen by a healthcare professional and scored on how much help they need. This has led to thousands seeing a reduction in the amount of benefit they are entitled to.

Barrow Mind, which also covers Millom, said it too was seeing a higher proportion of people negatively affected by reassessment.

First contact worker Laura Clawson deals with people attending Mind in Furness in crisis.

She said: "We have noticed a significant increase in the deterioration of people’s mental health as a direct result of them receiving yet another form, assessment and/or medical regarding their benefit changes. We would say this is in line with national Mind's statistics."

Even though the situation in south Cumbria is a difficult one, Ms Gordon says mental health counsellors are trained to provide as much support as possible.

She said: "We make sure that people have access to someone even just to talk to. It can be really crushing for people, in particular families in the run-up to Christmas."

The Mail contacted the Department for Work and Pensions but no comment was made before the time of publication.

Reassessment: The consequences

First contact worker at MIND in Furness, Laura Clawson elaborated on just what is causing people's mental health to deteriorate when they are reassessed.

She said: "Most of the people we see are having their benefits re-assessed and as a result have financial worries.

“This impacts on their lifestyle and choices, meaning they have to decide between putting food on the table, making a phone call to support workers at MIND in Furness or getting a bus to see us but unable to do all three.

“This leads to further isolation which escalates their poor mental health.

“We have also seen more and more people needing food bank vouchers as a result of benefit sanctions.

“We offer help and counselling for this issue and we are increasingly attending personal independence payment and employment support allowance appointments with individuals and helping them with associated housing issues.”

What other help is available?

First Step centres across Cumbria offer free talking therapies across the county for people suffering a range of conditions.

These include: depression, anxiety, panic attacks, social phobia, obsessive compulsive disorder and post-traumatic stress disorder.

You can be referred by your GP or by filling in a form yourself online.

Anyone can also contact the Samaritans, 24 hours a day, all year round on the free phone number 116 123.

Duchess of Cambridge speaks on mental health:

It is not only adults who increasingly face mental health issues. The Duchess of Cambridge recently spoke about on the importance of supporting children in school to avoid future mental health problems.

In a speech at a Place2Be forum on how schools can tackle mental health problems she said: "I believe what you all know to be true, that getting help and support to young children at the very earliest stage helps improve their outcomes later in life.

"Whether we are school leaders, teachers, support staff or parents we are all in this together.

"We are all working to give children the emotional strength they need to face their future lives and thrive."

A spokesman from DWP said: "Assessments for PIP and ESA are carried out by health professionals who are trained to understand multiple and complex conditions, including mental health.

“PIP looks specifically at how someone’s life is affected by mental health, unlike the old system which did not sufficiently recognise mental health problems. In fact, there are now more people with a mental health condition receiving the higher rates of both PIP components. Regular reassessments mean we can ensure people get the help they need as their condition changes."