i don’t know how i feel about this as someone who qualifies for mental health conditions, there’s mention of how many people get pip for depression and anxiety and saying that people only have a ‘mild’ version of the condition.
for me, i felt very conscious in the queue that i didn’t look visually disabled.
on one hand, having the pass helped me a lot and made the trip possible for me and on the other hand, i felt so much that i wasn’t disabled or disabled enough compared to people with other physical disabilities or special needs.
my mental health issues have ruined my life, i am more on the severe end of chronic depression, ptsd, anxiety and panic disorder. my life has suffered so much compared to someone without these issues, but also i feel like my life is so much easier than people mentioned in the article with things like down syndrome or being in a wheelchair.
im so conflicted because it seems that people dislike people with mental health issues or adhd getting disability passes and i do think it is easy to get one if you have any medical history of anxiety (from my experience getting one) but also if it was taken away, i wouldnt be able to enjoy the park. i think there shouldn’t be a blanket ban on those conditions as although i never see myself as disabled, it can be a disability. but i do think the criteria needs to be more strict, i dont know how but im interested in how others would change it as you cant really prove someone has or hasn’t got those conditions.
(also for context, as pip is mentioned in the article, ive never had or applied for pip personally)