I applied to have a disable badge as I think it would let me try and get used to my doctors, shops,restraunts etc etc.. even if I had to go in hospital I wouldnt be able to park outside the door. As I have no disable badge even thou I cant walk more than a few feet.. cos of my anxiety
My letter stated I cant have a badge cos the somerset county council have strict adhererence to the policy and criteria means that badges are only issues to those people who would otherwise find it impossible to visit shops, public buildings or other places.
hmmm so I dont fit in that catorgry???? ffs do they understand agoraphobia?? did they even look at my aplication formn??
people who have disable badges some of them park in car parks along way from shops etc and walk there!!! so they find it impossible to get to public places so they? what an excuse!!
well Im going to fight for agoraphobics and mental health sufferers!! and get that badge.
This is some info I found whilst reasearching agoraphobia and disable badges.
I am going to get a letter from my doctor, therapist contact some mp's from the council etc and someone from the mental health team in my area and kick ass!!
This is the information that the blue badge scheme website gives you on mental health
People with mental health difficulties
Whilst driving was described as the only feasible mode of travel for people with panic attacks and agoraphobia, the following issues were highlighted:
- Problems finding a parking space caused anxiety and panic. A person will abandon a trip altogether due to the inability to find a space.
- Those with more severe agoraphobia will not leave their house due to walking distances. Even for those with a less severe condition, quality of life would be greatly improved if they could park close to their destination (all severity levels would benefit potentially).
- Problems going shopping. Parking far away from shops caused a great deal of stress and often meant that trips were abandoned because the anxiety triggered panic attacks.
- Multi-storey car parks were also difficult for respondents to face due to feeling of enclosure, which could lead to a panic attack.
- Feeling of getting lost if car is parked far away and can't be found easily. A Blue Badge would mean that respondents could park next to destination which would reduce the anxiety.
Respondents with OCD (Obsessive Compulsive Disorder) encountered a lot of problems in reaching their final destinations. The lack of normal parking spaces meant that having a badge would mean being able to park close to the destination. Problems also exist with objects such as barriers, bollards and signs being “dirty” – in addition, parking close to visible dirty objects (for example, litter) caused huge problems.
With Tourette’s Syndrome, repetitive behaviour can hinder the use of public and private transport. They might affect a person’s ability to board a bus. Obsessive Compulsive Behaviours may also distract a road user from the road (for instance, compulsive mirror checking)
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This is what I found on the net that the house of commons said about people with mental health issues having a disable blue badge
It is clear that people with conditions such as agoraphobia and social phobia find travelling alone difficult and the risk is sometimes worsened by more serious mental impairments.
Each person who has a severe mental impairment or who have extremely disruptive behavioural problems, which affects their mobility, as in the case of agoraphobia or autism, should be given a badge.
The diagnosis should be irrelevant, but the impact the condition has on the person's mobility and ability to travel should be relevant, not every mental impairment will affect a person's ability and every person's experience is individual, so the criteria should be changed to reflect that.
Social inclusion, better quality of life, and independence are all factors which would be likely to help people who are severely mentally impaired or who have extremely disruptive behavioural problems, who are awarded a Blue Badge would be greatly enhanced by being entitled to the parking concessions.
I think I am in intitles to get that badge!!! do you?
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9 comments:
Sorry to hear that you have been refused. I wasn't even aware that agoraphobics would be entitled to a blue badge, but I can see how it would make life easier for some. Perhaps you should refer your local council to the info you found from the house of commons, or maybe contact your local MP about the matter. Good luck, hope you get your badge.
Aww that's really sad. It IS a disability. Good luck hun. I hope it all works out for you.
Hi! I haven't been getting feeds so assumed you'd stopped writing! So sorry!! Got some catching up to do.
My Dad had a blue badge for his agoraphobia, though he doesn't drive now. He had to fight tooth and nail to get it, one appeal after another, it was ridiculous. I've never applied myself for DLA because I don't think I will get it. Lord knows I'm fighting just to get a medical assessment for my benefit done at home. Perhaps it is time for a letter to your MP? It's outrageous, it makes me so angry that mental health gets zero support from the people who are supposed to help! I'm fuming for you!
Sorry you were turned down. Unfortunatly if the disability is 'not seen' they are ignorant to it. I feel i will struggle with getting one for Twinkle as her diability is invisable unless you spend more than a few minutes with her.
Hi there,
What you are doing is amazing! It's time to bring this dibilitating condition into public awareness. Good luck to you.
I thing you might find www.EndingSocialAnxiety.net useful
Keep trying, don't give up on it. You obviously need it so do whatever humanly possible to get it.
Do you find that your OCD will contribute to your agoraphobia? I tend to shy away from leaving the house when my OCD is bad, I'm beginning to understand why.
Hey
Good luck with this Marie, you defiantly deserve the badge. Its a shame that this illness is so misundertsood. Dont give up! I'm sure you'll get it
Rachael
I recently broke both my ankles and am in plaster for at least 6 weeks and will need physio for some months after. I joined a well-known disabilty forum, asking some questions about getting a BB. I was shocked by the vitriol I encountered there because I am not *permanently* disabled. Apparently, you must be physically disabled for at least a year to get a BB.
Like you, I suffer with agoraphobia and anxiety that rules my life. It takes a huge amount of courage (for want of a better word) for me to be able to get in the car to get to my hospital appointments. When I get to the car park, my husband has to pull up along a normal space, get my chair out, get me out and into the chair, then LEAVE me there, in the middle of the car park while he parks the car - sounds easy, but when you suffer with anxiety, I'm sure you know how I feel. At my last visit, one idiot blew his horn at me for being in the way, even though there was plenty of room for him to pass.
Asides the obvious difficulties of being temporarily in a wheelchair, I feel more restricted by my mental issues than my physical. I've been seeing a CPN since 2003 and part of the therapy is for me to "get out" and be around other people. I don't want to go out because when I am out, I get panic attacks that need me to get back to my safe place, which, when I'm out of the house is my car! Being parked a million miles away from it (that's how it seems) makes getting out almost impossible for me and FAR more difficult that any of the physical difficulties I've recently encountered.
Please, please keep trying for you BB. The powers that be NEED to know that it is NOT just those who have physical difficulties walking that need to park near to whatever destination they're going to.
J
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