Does Social Security Grant Disability Benefits for Borderline Personality Disorder?

Borderline personality disorder (BPD) is a mental health disorder that’s characterized by significant mood instability and highly impulsive behaviors. People with BPD have difficulty controlling their emotions and often experience intense changes in their personality over short periods of time. These symptoms may manifest on the job as arguments with coworkers, supervisors, or the general public that can make regular employment challenging.

Social Security recognizes that mental health conditions can significantly interfere with your daily life. If BPD keeps you from working full-time for at least a year, you may be able to receive disability benefits such as Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) or Supplemental Security Income (SSI). Before you submit your application, it’s a good idea to get familiar with Social Security’s rules and the medical evidence you’ll need to provide to be considered disabled.

When Is Borderline Personality Disorder a Disability?

The Social Security Administration (SSA) awards disability benefits to people who have a medically determinable impairment that keeps them from working at or above substantial gainful activity for twelve months or longer. That means you’ll need to have medical evidence showing that you either meet the criteria of a Blue Book listing or that you have functional limitations that rule out all jobs.

Getting Disability for Borderline Personality Disorder by Meeting Listing 12.08

Social Security evaluates BPD under listing 12.08 for personality and impulse-control disorders. The agency defines personality disorders as disorders characterized by inflexibility and an inability to adapt to different situations, which causes significant impairment in social relationships or the ability to get or maintain a job.

Meeting the requirements of the listing is a two-step process. First, you’ll need to show that you've been diagnosed with BPD and have medical documentation of a “pervasive pattern” (ongoing, not just a one-time event) of one or more of the following symptoms:

• inappropriate suspiciousness or distrust of others
• detachment from social relationships
• unstable personal relationships with impulsive and damaging behaviors
• disregard for and violation of the rights of others
• excessive emotionality and attention-seeking behavior
• feelings of inadequacy
• excessive need to be taken care of
• preoccupation with perfectionism and orderliness, and
• recurrent, impulsive, and aggressive behavioral outbursts.

Then, you’ll need to show that your symptoms result in an “extreme” limitation in one, or “marked” limitations in two, of the following areas of mental functioning:

• concentrating on tasks (completing tasks in a timely manner, ignoring or avoiding distractions while working, changing activities or work settings without being disruptive, working close to or with others without interrupting or distracting them)
• adapting or managing oneself (adapting to changes, controlling one’s behavior, being aware of normal hazards and taking appropriate precautions)
• interacting with others (responding to suggestions, criticism, correction, and challenges appropriately), and
• learning, understanding, and remembering information (following oral instructions, using reason and judgment to make work-related decisions).

Extreme limitations are more serious than marked limitations. For example, somebody whose BPD causes them to need additional supervision and reassurance in order to complete chores—but who does eventually get them done—might have “marked” limitations in the area of concentrating on tasks. But somebody who frequently loses their temper and refuses to do a simple chore, such as washing dishes, is likely to have an “extreme” limitation in that area.

Getting Disability for Borderline Personality Disorder by Showing an Inability to Work

If Social Security decides your symptoms don’t meet the requirements of the personality disorders listing, the agency will consider whether your limitations should really be keeping you from working. To do this, Social Security will create a mental residual functional capacity (RFC) assessment for you. Your RFC is a set of restrictions about what tasks you can and can’t do in an employment setting.

A typical RFC for someone with BPD would list the mental limitations that make it difficult to hold down a full-time job. For example, an inability to control emotions and being easily angered are some obstacles that can prevent people with BPD from working full-time. Additionally, BPD symptoms could make interactions with coworkers difficult or prevent proper responses to reasonable suggestions from supervisors. Anger problems can cause issues in customer service positions.

While some jobs are more solitary in nature, even in those positions an inability to control your emotions (such as becoming so frustrated at a task that you don’t finish it) can result in a loss of workplace productivity. Impulsive behavior can also have a significant impact on your decision-making process. Employers are unlikely to hire and retain employees who leave the work station too frequently or call out too many times. If you can’t perform even the simplest routine tasks on a regular basis, the SSA can find that your RFC rules out all jobs and award you benefits in what’s called a “medical-vocational allowance.”

Medical Evidence You’ll Need to Get Disability for BPD

Your medical records are the foundation of your Social Security disability claim. Without evidence that you haven’t received a diagnosis of, and treatment for, borderline personality disorder, the SSA doesn’t have the information it needs to determine whether you meet listing 12.08 or are able to work at any job. So it’s important to provide the agency with documentation that you’ve been seeing a psychologist, psychiatrist, or other mental health provider who has observed and managed your BPD symptoms.

BPD is usually diagnosed by a mental health professional after discussion of signs and symptoms. Common symptoms that could result in a diagnosis of borderline personality disorder include:

• looking at things in extremes, such as everything being bad or good
• frequent, wide mood swings
• rapid changes in interests and values
• patterns of unstable, intense relationships
• frequent displays of inappropriate, intense anger
• antagonistic behavior that leads to fights and other disputes
• impulsiveness, which often includes risky behaviors
• short, intense episodes of depression or anxiety (lasting no more than a few days), and
• fear of being abandoned that can lead to frantic efforts to prevent real or perceived abandonment.

Like many related mood disorders, treatment for BPD mostly involves talk therapy and, in some cases, medication. Effective treatment for BPD (such as dialectical behavioral therapy) involves helping you learn skills to successfully manage your emotions, handle stress, and improve relationships.

Social Security wants to see your specific symptoms and any laboratory findings from your psychiatrist or psychologist, as well as the effect of your impairments on your functional abilities and how long your impairments are expected to last. You should submit the following to the SSA with your disability application:

• clinical progress notes, including mental status examinations and psychological testing
• medical source statements from therapists who you’ve seen regularly for treatment
• an activities of daily living questionnaire describing how your BPD symptoms affect your daily routine, and
• letters from friends and family who have close contact with you and can discuss your symptoms.

Make sure you keep the SSA in the loop if you start a new treatment or begin seeing a new provider. If you haven’t been able to access regular medical treatment for your borderline personality disorder, learn more in our article about getting disability without having seen a doctor.

How Much Can I Get in Disability Benefits With BPD?

Social Security doesn't award benefits based on the type of medical condition you have. Rather, the amount you'll receive if you're approved depends on whether you qualify for SSDI or SSI. Eligibility for SSDI is based on your employment history and the amount of work credits you’ve accumulated, while SSI is a needs-based benefit subject to income and asset limits. You can learn more about these programs—and calculate your estimated benefit amount— in our article on SSDI and SSI monthly check amounts.

Applying for Disability Benefits

Filing for SSDI or SSI is a fairly straightforward process. You can choose from one of the methods below to begin your application.

• One easy way is to file your claim online. You don’t have to complete the application in one sitting, and you’ll get a tracking number so you can check the status of your claim.
• You can also apply over the phone by calling Social Security at 800-772-1213 (TTY 800-325-0778) 8 a.m. and 7 p.m., Monday through Friday.
• If you prefer to file in person, you can schedule an appointment with a representative at your local Social Security field office.

For more information, see our article about applying for Social Security disability benefits.

What If My Application Is Denied?

Few disability applicants are awarded benefits on their first try. If you're denied, you’ll need to submit an appeal (“reconsideration”) of your application before you can request a hearing with an administrative law judge. Most people who are awarded disability don’t get approved until after a hearing with a judge, a process that can take about a year (or more, in some cases.)

You aren’t required to get legal assistance during any part of the disability determination process, but it’s usually a good idea. An experienced lawyer can help you gather the medical evidence you need to show that you’re disabled and can handle communications with Social Security so that you don’t miss any important appeal deadlines. Disability attorneys work on contingency (meaning they get paid only if you win) and many offer free consultations, so it doesn’t hurt to ask around to find a lawyer you like.