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Forum Home  →  Discussion  →  Work capability issues and ESA  →  Thread

Client with Auditory and Visual Hallucinations on Lithium

Unite1
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Employment law & benefit appeal rep, the Initiative Factory, Liverpool

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Total Posts: 7

Joined: 26 June 2017

Does anyone have any useful case law regarding my client with auditory and visual hallucinations. It sounds horrific! Part of my client’s incapapability to get washed etc is that when he is “down”. He sees his face in the mirror as that of a monster.

Sally63
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Generalist Adviser, Southwark Citizens Advice Bureau

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Joined: 21 January 2016

I had an ESA appeal where the claimant believed that he was being persecuted by the police—he didn’t believe these were delusions and had never sought or received mental treatment for them. At appeal, I just described them—he couldn’t ever get anywhere for instance because the police hooted at him and waylaid him in the street—he had to keep changing his route to avoid them but then they turned up again. The FTT found that he was unable to work because of his delusions ie the affects of his delusions on his life. I had not described them as delusions—they reached this conclusion from his oral evidence. .

Surely someone who hallucinates on such a scale will be frightened by reflections in windows—on the bus, on computer screens, in the street etc, He would be frightened to leave the house, people’s faces would change on the bus and he might be frightened and get off. He would find it difficult to use toilets because of the presence of mirrors and would be likely to wet himself. Etc.

Mr Finch
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Benefits adviser - Isle of Wight CAB

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Does a hallucination cause any issues with disinhibited behaviour, such as swearing or similar, that would be unacceptable in a workplace? Does it cause tasks to be interrupted so that they can’t be successfully completed, as in MW?

Mike Hughes
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Senior welfare rights officer - Salford City Council Welfare Rights Service

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Joined: 17 June 2010

Old thread at https://www.rightsnet.org.uk/forum-archive/index9341.html. Only other stuff I could find is American and adds nothing. Best advice from the old thread to me is that which talks about obtaining evidence from others who know the person. I’m not convinced case law is necessary in such cases. They’ll usually speak for themselves.