Social Security Disability and SSI for Depression

Depression is the leading cause of disability among nonfatal medical conditions in the United States. Depression in its various forms (major depression, dysthymia, and manic depression) is a type of mood disorder characterized by gloom, sadness, and feelings of hopelessness and inadequacy. Concurrent with these emotions, a person with depression often suffers from feelings of fatigue and decreased energy levels.

About Depression

What causes depression? There seem to be biological and genetic factors, as well as environmental factors. Individuals can be predisposed to depression and the condition is often seen among several members within a family. Stress and other environmental factors are also linked to depression.

Many of us suffer from depression that is the result of our reaction to negative situations (the death of a loved one, divorce, or significant changes in our lives), but for the most part these periods of depression will be situational and short lived. However, if a person has an episode of depression with severe daily symptoms that last for two weeks or longer, their condition may be considered to be major clinical depression. Major clinical depression interferes with our ability to cope with our lives, often rendering an individual unable to function effectively in their everyday life, including work and family activities. 

Disability Benefits for Depression

To qualify for disability benefits, an individual with depression must either meet certain specific disability criteria (found in Social Security's impairment listing manual), or be granted a medical-vocational allowance based on the severity of their depression and a combination of other factors (such as other impairments, work history, age, and level of education).

Disability Listing for Depression

Depression is covered in the impairment listing 12.04, Affective Disorders. To qualify for either Social Security disability or SSI disability benefits on the basis of depression, an applicants must have at least four of the following symptoms:

• lack of interest or pleasure in most activities
• decreased energy
• poor appetite or overeating
• insomnia or oversleeping
• difficulty concentrating or thinking
• lack of physical movement
• feelings of worthlessness or guilt
• paranoia, delusions, or hallucinations, or
• suicidal thoughts.

In addition, Social Security requires that your symptoms of depression cause you serious difficulty in:

• activities of daily living (ADLs)
• social functioning
• focusing, or
• repeated, extended periods of worsening symptoms (episodes of decompensation).

Alternatively, if you've experienced recurrent episodes of depression for at least two years, you might be able to qualify for disability if your depression has improved with antidepressant medication or heavy social support, but your recovery is tentative and you could experience a setback if you go back to work or change your routine. 

Qualifying Outside of the Depression Listing

Applicants don't have to receive an approval for disability by meeting the requirements of the depression listing, above, even if depression is the only impairment they listed on the disability application. They can, instead, be approved by being granted a "medical-vocational allowance." This, in fact, is how most claims are approved.

Social Security must consider how your depression symptoms affect your ability to do unskilled work, which requires you to:

• understand, remember, and carry out simple instructions
• make simple work-related decisions
• respond appropriately to supervision and co workers, and 
• handle changes in routine.

If Social Security agrees that you can't perform unskilled work, you will get disability benefits. Or, if Social Security decides you can perform unskilled work, but you have a physical impairment that requires you do sedentary work, you could also get disability benefits. Learn more about getting Social Security Disability benefits based on a medical-vocational allowance for a mental disorder.