Only Making Things Worse: A Qualitative Study of the Impact of Wrongly Removing Disability Benefits from People with Mental Illness

TY - JOUR

T1 - Only Making Things Worse

T2 - A Qualitative Study of the Impact of Wrongly Removing Disability Benefits from People with Mental Illness

AU - Shefer, Guy

AU - Henderson, Claire

AU - Frost-Gaskin, Mary

AU - Pacitti, Richard

PY - 2016/5/19

Y1 - 2016/5/19

N2 - Many countries belonging to the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) have seen a considerable increase in the number of disability benefits recipients (DBRs), in addition to an increase in the proportion of people with mental illness. As in other countries, changes to the welfare benefits system in England were made in order to reduce the number of DBRs. Many people lost their benefit payments, although a considerable number had them reinstated after appeal. Our aim was to investigate the impact of the process on DBRs whose disability was related to mental health and who won their appeal. Seventeen DBRs were interviewed. The participants reported three main types of impact. Beyond the practical reduction of income and the related anxiety, interviewees reported considerable stress when coping with the ‘never-ending’ cycle of bureaucracy. They also expressed anger, frustration and demoralisation at mistrust on the part of the authorities partly due to the ‘invisibility’ of their disability.

AB - Many countries belonging to the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) have seen a considerable increase in the number of disability benefits recipients (DBRs), in addition to an increase in the proportion of people with mental illness. As in other countries, changes to the welfare benefits system in England were made in order to reduce the number of DBRs. Many people lost their benefit payments, although a considerable number had them reinstated after appeal. Our aim was to investigate the impact of the process on DBRs whose disability was related to mental health and who won their appeal. Seventeen DBRs were interviewed. The participants reported three main types of impact. Beyond the practical reduction of income and the related anxiety, interviewees reported considerable stress when coping with the ‘never-ending’ cycle of bureaucracy. They also expressed anger, frustration and demoralisation at mistrust on the part of the authorities partly due to the ‘invisibility’ of their disability.

KW - Benefits

KW - Disability

KW - Disempowerment

KW - Mental health

KW - Welfare policy

KW - Wellbeing

UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=84970027570&partnerID=8YFLogxK

U2 - 10.1007/s10597-016-0012-8

DO - 10.1007/s10597-016-0012-8

M3 - Article

AN - SCOPUS:84970027570

SN - 0010-3853

SP - 1

EP - 8

JO - Community Mental Health Journal

JF - Community Mental Health Journal

ER -