Been really struggling mentally, I’ve struggled with my mental health for most of my adult life, and have been trying to get an adhd diagnoses for 5 years, I have recently been put back on antidepressants which I am reluctant to take as I feel like they just give me them and leave me to it. I am grieving and need support, there doesn't seem to be any support. Financially I am really struggling, worrying about my child going to nursery and the UC bullying me back to work, I have such anxiety over how I will afford my private rented flat, the council won’t meet with me to discuss social housing and I have again, like mental health, been told it could be up to 8 years, I feel like my life is being put on hold.

Hello everyone, me and my friends we had beautiful Saturday out with our kids at farm. The kids did enjoy it and we took them to park to play too. The weather was nice but late it started raining. I hope that everyone is enjoying summer weather 😊😊

Keir Starmer has doubled down on his plans to slash disability benefits – even as more than 100 Labour MPs vow to block the bill.

The Prime Minister says “the system is broken” and must be reformed – but trade unions, Labour backbenchers, and even ministers are threatening open revolt.

One senior MP says:

💬 “Either we sack him or he sacks Reeves.”

The cuts would target Personal Independence Payments, with £5bn in savings expected. But the backlash is growing louder – and rumours of deselection, whip threats, and ministerial resignations are swirling.

Starmer insists:

🗣 “This is not a confidence vote.”

But as pressure mounts from both inside and outside the party, is Labour on the verge of a civil war?

📅 MPs vote next Tuesday.

👀 Watch this space.

The hot weather is welcomed as I don't need to worry about putting heating on, however still having to top gas meter by £15 a week just for 1 hour hot water morning and night plus paying for pre payment meter being there.

A lot in media of war of America, Israel and Iran.

It's very worrying to me.

No end in sight and instead is worsening.

Anyone else in constant state of anxiety due to war and constant confusing information?

Struggling quite badly financially since my daughter left school. The money on her own claim doesn’t just switch from a child claim to a claim under her own name, despite nothing being different. This has had a massive impact on our cash flow in to the house and now I’m really struggling to make ends meet. My daughter lacks capacity so she’s unable to manage her own money. She really struggles in the usual school setting so trying to find her some kind of education provider for the past 7 years has been difficult. Pretty sure my daughter is on the autism spectrum somewhere but lack of education means no assessment so no diagnosis. I’m really struggling badly. As it is I was assaulted in my home and since then have hallucinations and quite poor mental health. The last place I want to be is stuck at home in my house with my bad memories but i have no choice. Can’t go out and do anything. Neither can I just get up and move. I’m feeling really lost and the worse bit is, even though my daughter doesn’t understand why I’m the way I am, she’s definitely picking up my distress.

Every morning I wake up very tired, about the pressure of life, everything seems to make me fall, I tried a lot to make everything better but I couldn't do it, life around me is full of difficulties. I tried to be good to take care of my daughter but I couldn't. I'm really tired!

Another 2nd hand mobile handset I bought online arrived in post to replace another broken one I dropped.

Had to go buy a new charger and plug from local shop which charges 3 x the cost of one I could buy in the city.

I've spent £100 that was for my daughter's birthday.

The work coaches specifically in Govan Job Centre are horrible, they bring you down to within an inch of yourself looking down on you and your circumstances with zero compassion or thought to why you may have a mental health issue. They speak to you as if you are a piece of gum on their shoes, they show no empathy towards anyone and seem to not want to actually do their job: they do not help in any way, actually they hinder you because they leave you feeling worse than when you first walked in.

I have not experienced a work coach.

But to the best of my knowledge l think a work coaches - he or she - is aiming to provide personalised support and to help individuals overcome and achieve their employment goals.

I think that's all l have to say about work coaches.

My Experience with the Jobcentre and the DWP After My Son’s Suicide

In November 2021, my life changed forever. My 19-year-old son died by suicide after suffering domestic abuse. In the aftermath, I was left traumatised, grieving, and completely unable to work due to severe, complex PTSD.

It was at this most vulnerable time that I had my first experience with a Work Coach at the Jobcentre.

I had to apply for Universal Credit, and during that first appointment, I was open and honest about my circumstances. I disclosed my dyslexia, ADHD, and the fact that I struggle significantly with form-filling, technology, and online systems — especially without support, which I don’t have at home.

I explained that I found the online journal system extremely difficult to use. I asked for reasonable adjustments, like communicating over the phone instead of through the online portal. My request was ignored.

Instead of empathy, I was met with hostility. The Work Coach responded with shocking insensitivity. When I explained that I was struggling mentally because my son had taken his own life, she dismissed me. “You can’t keep throwing that around,” she said, referring to my son’s suicide. This wasn’t just upsetting — it was retraumatising and deeply wrong.

There was no understanding of how trauma and neurodivergence affect someone’s ability to engage with rigid systems like Universal Credit. Despite my formal complaint, nothing changed. The online journal remains the only point of communication, and it’s not designed to be accessible for people with dyslexia, ADHD, or trauma-related conditions.

If a workplace failed to make these kinds of reasonable adjustments, it could be taken to court for disability discrimination. So why is the DWP exempt?

Living in a rural area adds another layer of difficulty. Public transport is virtually non-existent. I rely entirely on other people to take me to appointments. I can’t travel alone — particularly when I’m having suicidal thoughts. Despite this, I’ve been told I must attend the Jobcentre in person or risk losing my only source of income.

There is no flexibility. No safeguarding. No understanding. I fear that as even stricter benefit conditions come in, more disabled people like me will fall through the cracks — punished for not being able to do what the system demands, regardless of how hard we try.

What’s even scarier is that many Work Coaches seem to have no lived experience of trauma or mental ill-health. Some, like the one I encountered, are actively dismissive and harmful. People like me are left feeling powerless. How do you argue with the DWP? You can’t. They are a law unto themselves, with no external oversight or accountability.

I believe there must be an independent body overseeing Work Coach behaviour and DWP decisions — especially when disabled or bereaved claimants are involved. No one should be re-traumatised for simply asking for help. And no one should be forced to choose between their safety and their survival.

It's a hostile environment in the job centres, not many job coaches I met were empathetic more were authoritarian and I felt they had power over me as if they are paying the benefit from their pocket. Not all people understand everything about the physical or mental health challenges they are not professional in this regards but still they get to make the decisions.

It's very stressful, will have detrimental affect on people's mental health.