The benefits system actually causes mental health problems

In this episode, Megi talks about: 

• the effects that caring for a profoundly disabled autistic child has on mental health
• how difficult it is to get and live on benefits and how that destroys mental health 

Liz Kendall and inglorious Prime Minister Keir Starmer never talk about these things, of course. 

Their line inevitably is that anyone who claims benefits needs a boot up the arse, and to get work and all the rest of it.

Actually, the facts are that people in Megi's situation very much enjoy working. 

Unfortunately, people have to leave work because their kids can't be left unsupervised for a second and never sleep. 

Affordable, specialised and trustworthy care is extremely hard to get. 

And people have to spend any spare time that they find trying to navigate the extremely unnavigable benefits system to get tiny allowances like carer's allowance. 

No wonder applications for PIP on mental health grounds are up.

Labour needs to put this sort of story front and centre of its witterings about benefits. Let's talk about the way things really are.

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