The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) has confirmed that 1.5 million of its four million Personal Independence Payments (PIP) claimants are receiving support for psychiatric disorders, according to caseload figures. The data reveals 20 different types of psychiatric conditions are common among claimants, as the DWP prepares to reform the PIP system following the final Timms Review.
Timms Review focuses on eligibility and fairness
The Timms Review is exploring changes to PIP with the aim of making the welfare system fairer for both claimants and taxpayers. The review has been instructed to focus on four key themes: the role and purpose of PIP eligibility, fairness and equity in awards, the experience of claiming PIP, and the changing context and impacts on PIP.
These themes suggest that some common conditions could be at risk from any changes imposed after the final report is filed. The DWP lists these four areas as the core focus of the review, which is expected to lead to reforms in how PIP is assessed and awarded.
Top psychiatric conditions among PIP claimants
The DWP data breaks down the number of claimants for each psychiatric condition. The most common is mixed anxiety and depressive disorders, with 435,330 claimants. Autistic spectrum disorders follow with 258,539 claimants, and learning disability (global) accounts for 173,452 claimants.
Mood disorders affect 156,155 claimants, while psychotic disorders total 131,910. Hyperkinetic disorder, commonly known as ADHD, has 100,207 claimants, and anxiety disorders account for 69,454. Stress reactions affect 67,990 people, and personality disorder has 58,338 claimants.
Full list of psychiatric conditions on PIP
Other conditions on the list include learning disorder (specific) with 37,710 claimants, cognitive disorder with 27,092, and substance (mis)use disorders with 18,145. Obsessive compulsive disorder affects 12,343 claimants, and eating disorders total 8,376.
Somatoform and dissociative disorders have 2,056 claimants, conduct disorder accounts for 1,273, and other psychiatric disorders of childhood number 960. The list is completed by encopresis with 68 claimants, enuresis with 46, and factitious disorder with 41.
PIP eligibility criteria and rules
PIP is available to people aged 16 or over who have a long-term physical or mental health condition or disability, have difficulty doing certain everyday tasks or getting around, or expect the difficulties to last for at least 12 months from when they started. Claimants usually need to be under State Pension age to make a new PIP claim.
Those over State Pension age cannot usually make a new claim for PIP and can apply for Attendance Allowance instead. A new claim for PIP can be made if the claimant received PIP or Adult Disability Payment (ADP) in the last 12 months. PIP can be received at the same time as all other benefits, except Armed Forces Independence Payment.
Claimants receiving Constant Attendance Allowance will get less of the daily living part of PIP, while those receiving War Pensioners' Mobility Supplement will not get the mobility part of PIP. PIP can be claimed whether the individual is working or has savings.
