My own experience of Atos is when an Atos doctor visited me to assess my entitlement to Disability Living Allowance which I claimed when rheumatoid arthritis left me disabled recently. DLA is given to allow disabled people to pay for someone else to do what they cannot, yet the doctor who assessed me wouldn't let me tell him what I needed help with. His exact words (and I have a very strong ability to recall things that are said to me) were, "I'm not interested in what you can't do. I want to know what you can do."
I was awarded the lower level of care on the basis that I need help to cook myself a hot, main meal. I asked DWP to look again at my claim on the basis that I need help to wash or shower, dress and undress, and to manage stairs. To sit down and stand up, to get shoes and coat on to enable me to go out into my garden and walk for a few minutes with crutches. They ignored most of what I had said and what my Occupational Therapist said and did not change the award. It was only when I stated that I wanted to go to an independent tribunal, that they agreed I was entitled to the middle rate of care as I need help several times a day. This money enables me to pay for jobs that I would like to do but cannot do for myself.
If I had a mental illness and was unable to stick up for myself, I would have been left at the lower level and not able to afford the extra help.
As an aside, the government in their 'wisdom' have withdrawn funding for home helps as they say it is not an essential service. My local council now have to charge £12 per hour for a home help. My DLA at its original rate would have paid for sllightly more than one hour a week - not enough time to clean a house. Fortunately I have my husband who, although totally blind, is able to do a certain amount of cleaning. What about people who live alone? They are now expected to live in filth if they can't afford £12 an hour. It is obviously not (according to the government) essential to have a clean kitchen and clean toilet.