[IchbinkeinTeufel]

Does anyone - of whom are receiving mental health/disability financial support from their government - feel a sense of guilt? Does anyone struggle to spend this money? Does anyone feel they don't deserve it? Does anyone fear it being taken away at any given moment? Does anyone feel pressure to actually be "disabled" enough to receive this support?

[No Fuse No Flame]

I don't feel guilty about receiving money from the government, but I do fear my disability being taken away. Sometimes when I feel good enough to do work around my house, I worry someone from SSDI will show up. When I don't feel I'm disabled enough to be on SSDI, I remember how I spent an hour on the floor because my back went out again, plus 10 days of agony. When I have so much anxiety I can't even go outside. Money was taken out of your paycheck just for situations like this, this is your money and not an entitlement. Greedy politicians want you to believe it's an entitlement, it's not. Although I am exploring ideas on how to make money with my limitations, still exploring.

[pinkbutterfly]

I feel guilty that I have applied for SSI -- in the last 23 months, I have been hospitalized 8 times. I don't know if I will qualify or anything. But I do feel guilty about even applying.

I get food stamps too -- and feel guilty about that -- but am extremely thankful that I don't have to worry about feeding my kids. I can even buy them healthy stuff because I get enough money to do that. It's been a blessing, but I do feel guilty about it sometimes.

I don't have government financial support but I can understand your questions/concerns. We have sort of an agreement/compact in our country that we will help take care of each other. Unless you're faking your illness, and I'm betting you aren't, then you deserve to be helped. You are entitled to this. Entitlement is not a pejorative although there are many who try to make it seem so.
Do you think EXXON, Pfizer, Lilly, Citigroup, Bank of America and all the other corporations who receive subsidies, bail outs, and research money (way over 1 trillion$) feel guilty? I'm betting they don't.
I hope you don't either.
oops just noticed you're from the UK... substitute UK firms and "the royal family" for American firms

[spondiferous]

I am on disability in my country and I do feel guilty. I am 34. I started work at the age of 12 (by choice) and worked all the way up to 30, only taking breaks in moments of extreme mental distress, and to go to rehab twice, and maternity leave. That was it. But I feel guilty. I feel like I am faking it sometimes, even though I know I'm not. I live in myself 24/7 and I know what I go through. It's just the **** my head tells me all the time. I don't deserve it. I should be out there working or I'm just a useless waste of space. I'm not as sick as others. Someone else deserves it more. And yeah, I'm also afraid of someone else in the Ministry thinking that and ending my benefits. I really do not know what I would do if that happened. Obviously I'd try to find work again but that would be an interesting feat, I would imagine.
I guess I just try to remember that I spent 18 years working and paying into benefits. And I have no problem with anyone else being on it. Part of my work right now is in not being so hard on myself, which for me is where this dialogue comes from. It's not really about whether or not I'm sick enough to deserve it. It's about every time I actually get what I need I feel guilty and like if there's not something terribly wrong then I'm doing something wrong, because all I truly deserve is wrongness.
It's pretty exhausting actually...

I don't know what illnesses you struggle with but I wonder if most people with depression feel this way due to depression. I don't think most of us feel we deserve anything good in our lives.

[greenlight]

Originally Posted by lit fuse

I don't feel guilty about receiving money from the government, but I do fear my disability being taken away. Sometimes when I feel good enough to do work around my house, I worry someone from SSDI will show up. When I don't feel I'm disabled enough to be on SSDI, I remember how I spent an hour on the floor because my back went out again, plus 10 days of agony. When I have so much anxiety I can't even go outside. Money was taken out of your paycheck just for situations like this, this is your money and not an entitlement. Greedy politicians want you to believe it's an entitlement, it's not. Although I am exploring ideas on how to make money with my limitations, still exploring.

Well said and I totally agree with you