Descriptor summary
This is a short working summary of the official criteria, written for product mapping. It is not legal advice and does not replace the GOV.UK assessment guide.
Activity 1: preparing food
Anxiety guide
For anxiety, this is most relevant when the person can physically prepare food but needs another person to remind, encourage, or explain before they can start.
Depression guide
For depression, this may apply when you can cook in principle, but need prompting to begin or to keep going, for example when motivation is very low or you shut down before you start.
Activity 2: taking nutrition
Anxiety guide
For anxiety, this is most relevant when the person needs encouragement or reminders to eat because anxiety affects active choice, motivation, or ability to begin eating.
Depression guide
For depression, this may apply when very low mood or apathy means you do not eat enough unless someone reminds or encourages you to take nutrition.
Activity 4: washing and bathing
Anxiety guide
For anxiety, this can apply where the person needs prompting because anxiety causes shutdown, avoidance, or difficulty starting washing and bathing.
Depression guide
For depression, this can apply when you need prompting or supervision to wash or bathe because of shutdown, self-neglect, or inability to start the task.
Activity 6: dressing and undressing
Anxiety guide
For anxiety, this can apply where the person needs prompting to get dressed, change clothes, or choose suitable clothing because anxiety causes shutdown or overwhelm.
Depression guide
For depression, this can apply when low energy or apathy means you need prompting to dress, change clothes, or pick suitable clothes for the situation.
Activity 9: engaging with other people face to face
Anxiety guide
For anxiety, prompting can include someone reassuring or calming the person before face-to-face contact.
Depression guide
For depression, you may need prompting to engage in person, for example when low mood, withdrawal, or fear of conversation makes the first step hard without support.
Activity 9: engaging with other people face to face
Anxiety guide
Social support means support from someone trained or experienced in helping the person engage socially, or someone directly experienced with the claimant.
Depression guide
The same test applies for depression. Social support is trained or experienced help, or someone who knows you well enough to help you stay engaged when face-to-face contact is hard.
Activity 9: engaging with other people face to face
Anxiety guide
For anxiety, focus on whether face-to-face contact creates such severe distress that the person cannot function, even with prompting or social support.
Depression guide
For depression, focus on whether the interaction, or the thought of it, causes such severe psychological distress that you cannot engage, even with support.
Activity 10: making budgeting decisions
Anxiety guide
Complex budgeting includes household budgets, bills, and planning future purchases. Anxiety may matter where it causes avoidance, overwhelm, or inability to respond to changing demands.
Depression guide
For depression, the same test applies. Complex money tasks may be avoided or feel impossible when concentration, motivation, or follow-through is badly affected.
Activity 10: making budgeting decisions
Anxiety guide
Simple budgeting includes calculating costs and change. This is a higher bar than needing help with bills alone.
Depression guide
Simple budgeting is still a defined test (costs, change, small sums). If depression leaves you unable to do even these reliably without help, this line may be relevant.
Activity 11: planning and following journeys
Anxiety guide
For anxiety, this is most relevant where you need encouragement or reassurance to set off, but would not need another person throughout the journey itself.
Depression guide
For depression, this can apply when low mood, fear, or shutdown means you need prompting to start a journey, even if you would not need someone with you the whole time.
Activity 11: planning and following journeys
Anxiety guide
For anxiety, this may apply where unfamiliar journeys, route changes, public transport, or unexpected events cause overwhelming distress and another person is needed.
Depression guide
For depression, this may apply if unfamiliar routes, changes, or overload mean you cannot follow the journey without another person, even on days when you can leave the house.
Activity 11: planning and following journeys
Anxiety guide
This is a high threshold. If the person can make one journey on a day, this descriptor may not be satisfied for that day.
Depression guide
This is a high threshold and works the same way for depression. The assessor must look at the actual journey rules in the PIP test, not this summary alone.
Activity 11: planning and following journeys
Anxiety guide
For anxiety, this is relevant where even familiar routes cannot be followed safely or reliably without another person because of overwhelming distress.
Depression guide
For depression, this may be relevant if even familiar routes feel unsafe or unmanageable without someone with you, when symptoms are that severe on the day in question.