Social Security Disability for Mental Disorders
There is a pervasive social stigma attached to mental disorders in America as well as the rest of the word. Many people do not consider mental disorders disabling at all. In fact, individuals with mental problems are often viewed as lazy or malingering. This, of course, is unsettling since, statistically, so many individuals suffer from mental illness worldwide. In the United States alone, millions suffer from severe mental disorders, syndromes, and diseases that make it all but impossible to function in a normal work environment.
From my experience as a former disability examiner, I found that most individuals who file for disability based upon mental conditions such as depression, bipolar disorder, anxiety, panic attacks, or schizophrenia have significant problems.
Generally, the individuals I came across had a lifetime of problems that culminated with an application for disability. Unfortunately, it is very difficult for individuals who apply for disability based upon a mental condition to win disability from Social Security at the initial claims level, and most will have to pursue the disability appeals process to win their benefits.
The criteria for evaluating most mental disorders tends to be more subjective than objective and there are very few tests (i.e. blood work, x-ray, imaging) to evaluate the severity of an individual’s mental condition. Disability examiners must base their decisions on the clinical notes of mental health professionals, third party questionnaires (all individuals who file for disability with Social Security are asked to list a third person who is familiar with their illness--this person will typically be contacted and asked about the claimant's condition and normal daily routine), and an ADL, or activities of daily living, questionnaire completed by the claimant (the information gathered from the third-party contact also regards activities of daily living).
Frankly, only mental conditions such as mental retardation, memory impairments, or other organic mental disorders can be tested objectively, (testing includes intelligence quotient (IQ) and memory impairment testing).
So do Social Security disability examiners make disability decisions based upon allegations of mental impairments fairly? That may not be possible to answer (for one thing, there are more than 50 DDS agencies and even the individual processing units within them may vary dramatically on how they decide claims), though from my own experience as an examiner I concluded that the answer was no--far too many times I saw cases denied for individuals with well-documented histories of mental impairment that, in my opinion, effectively ruled out the option to work.
Having said that, though, the Social Security disability handbook contains impairment listings for organic mental disorders, schizophrenic along with other paranoid and psychotic disorders, affective disorders (depression, bipolar), mental retardation, anxiety-related disorders, somatoform disorders, personality disorder, substance and addiction disorder, and autistic disorder along with other pervasive development disorders.
Social Security has established evaluation criteria for each of the above mentioned mental impairment listings and if an individual meets or equals the listing criteria they will be approved for disability.
Some individuals who do not meet or equal the criteria established for a mental impairment will still be able to qualify for disability, because their mental residual functional capacity has become so restricted that they are unable to function in a normal work environment. In other words, they will be granted a medical vocational allowance.
The number of initial disability approvals based upon mental impairments is small, and most individual have to pursue their disability allowance through the Social Security appeals process.
Return to:
Social Security Disability Secrets
Social Security Disability Benefits Questions
Other Posts
Filing for Disability - links
Filing for disability, how to file
Filing an SSI disability claim for a child
Filing for disability can be difficult
Does my condition qualify for disability?
Requirements to qualify for disability
How can I tell if I am disabled enough to qualify for disability?
From my experience as a former disability examiner, I found that most individuals who file for disability based upon mental conditions such as depression, bipolar disorder, anxiety, panic attacks, or schizophrenia have significant problems.
Generally, the individuals I came across had a lifetime of problems that culminated with an application for disability. Unfortunately, it is very difficult for individuals who apply for disability based upon a mental condition to win disability from Social Security at the initial claims level, and most will have to pursue the disability appeals process to win their benefits.
The criteria for evaluating most mental disorders tends to be more subjective than objective and there are very few tests (i.e. blood work, x-ray, imaging) to evaluate the severity of an individual’s mental condition. Disability examiners must base their decisions on the clinical notes of mental health professionals, third party questionnaires (all individuals who file for disability with Social Security are asked to list a third person who is familiar with their illness--this person will typically be contacted and asked about the claimant's condition and normal daily routine), and an ADL, or activities of daily living, questionnaire completed by the claimant (the information gathered from the third-party contact also regards activities of daily living).
Frankly, only mental conditions such as mental retardation, memory impairments, or other organic mental disorders can be tested objectively, (testing includes intelligence quotient (IQ) and memory impairment testing).
So do Social Security disability examiners make disability decisions based upon allegations of mental impairments fairly? That may not be possible to answer (for one thing, there are more than 50 DDS agencies and even the individual processing units within them may vary dramatically on how they decide claims), though from my own experience as an examiner I concluded that the answer was no--far too many times I saw cases denied for individuals with well-documented histories of mental impairment that, in my opinion, effectively ruled out the option to work.
Having said that, though, the Social Security disability handbook contains impairment listings for organic mental disorders, schizophrenic along with other paranoid and psychotic disorders, affective disorders (depression, bipolar), mental retardation, anxiety-related disorders, somatoform disorders, personality disorder, substance and addiction disorder, and autistic disorder along with other pervasive development disorders.
Social Security has established evaluation criteria for each of the above mentioned mental impairment listings and if an individual meets or equals the listing criteria they will be approved for disability.
Some individuals who do not meet or equal the criteria established for a mental impairment will still be able to qualify for disability, because their mental residual functional capacity has become so restricted that they are unable to function in a normal work environment. In other words, they will be granted a medical vocational allowance.
The number of initial disability approvals based upon mental impairments is small, and most individual have to pursue their disability allowance through the Social Security appeals process.
Return to:
Other Posts
Filing for Disability - links
Filing for disability, how to file
Filing an SSI disability claim for a child
Filing for disability can be difficult
Does my condition qualify for disability?
Requirements to qualify for disability
How can I tell if I am disabled enough to qualify for disability?
Labels: mental conditions
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