Can You Get Social Security Disability for OCD?

Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is a mental condition where a person experiences constant unwelcome ideas and feelings (obsessions) and feels obligated to perform repetitive tasks to reduce the obsessions (compulsions). These compulsions can be time-consuming, taking an hour or more a day. People with OCD can have difficulty concentrating because their thoughts are preoccupied with their obsession and the anxiety that results from resisting a compulsion.

Many people are able to manage their OCD with a combination of therapy and medication. But if your symptoms are severe enough to interfere with your ability to work full-time on a regular basis, you may qualify for Social Security disability benefits. Even if your OCD is mostly under control, you might want to ask for work accommodations under the Americans With Disabilities Act for times when your symptoms flare. Learning how to work with OCD—and what resources are available if you can't—is an important part of living the condition.

Is OCD a Disability?

Social Security recognizes that symptoms from OCD can make it difficult to focus on even basic work-related duties. Obsessive thoughts, such as fear of germ contamination ("germophobia") or fear of pending danger can lead to "off-task" behaviors like repetitive cleaning or checking locks, faucets, and stoves. Hoarding and sorting objects may also prove disruptive to coworkers.

If symptoms such as these prevent you from working full-time for at least 12 months, you might be eligible for disability benefits. Depending on the degree that your condition interferes with your activities of daily living, you could qualify for benefits by either meeting the requirements of Social Security's Blue Book listing for OCD or by showing that your OCD prevents you from working any job.

Meeting the Listing for OCD

Social Security maintains a category of disorders called the Listing of Impairments—or the "Blue Book," as a nod to the historical cover of the manual—that are considered especially serious. Disability claimants whose medical records contain specific evidence of a listed impairment can get benefits without having to show that they can't do any job. OCD is one of these listed impairments.

The agency will evaluate disability claims based on OCD under Listing 12.06 for Anxiety and Obsessive-Compulsive Disorders. In order for Social Security to determine that you "meet the listing," you must have a diagnosis of OCD characterized by either an involuntary, time-consuming preoccupation with intrusive, unwanted thoughts or by repetitive behaviors aimed at reducing anxiety.

Additionally, you must also meet the functional criteria to show that you have a loss of abilities due to these symptoms. You'll need to show that your OCD causes an "extreme" (debilitating) limitation in one, or a "marked" (intense, but not debilitating) limitation in two, of these areas:

• Understanding, remembering, or using information. Examples include being able to follow a recipe, give directions, and set a schedule.
• Interacting with others. Examples include being polite in routine social transactions, asking for help when you need it, and holding a conversation.
• Concentrating and maintaining pace. Examples include being able to ignore distractions, start and finish chores in a timely manner, and focus on tasks.
• Adapting or managing oneself. Examples include practical personal skills like paying bills, keeping clean, and getting to appointments on time.

Proving whether a mental limitation is "marked" or "extreme" can be tricky because those terms are subjective and not well-defined. You can help Social Security understand how you meet these criteria by obtaining a medical source statement from your regular psychiatrist, psychologist, counselor, or therapist. The agency values the opinions of medical professionals who regularly treat you in their area of expertise.

Most claimants who meet Listing 12.06 do have evidence of marked or extreme limitations. But the agency can find that you meet the listing without these limitations if you can show that you can only function as well as you do because you get a lot of help. If you've spent at least two years being unable to function without a support system (such as social workers, group homes, or family members who make sure that you're taking care of yourself), Social Security will take this into consideration when determining whether you meet the listing for OCD.

Getting Disability When Your OCD Symptoms Rule Out All Work

Social Security might not think that your symptoms are severe enough to qualify under its official listing for OCD. For example, OCD might severely interfere with your ability to concentrate at times, but it doesn't have a significant impact on your ability to get along with other people or manage yourself. In this case, the agency can still find you disabled if you can prove that your symptoms prevent you from working full-time at any job.

To get disability this way, you'll first need to show that you can't do your past work because your obsessive thoughts prevent you from focusing for long periods of time or your compulsions keep you from working at a reasonable pace. Here's an example:

If Social Security agrees that you can't do your old job, the agency will then need to determine whether there are any other jobs you can be expected to learn and perform. Depending on your age, education, and whether you learned any transferable skills at your previous jobs, you'll likely have to show that your OCD symptoms prevent you from doing even the easiest, most routine jobs.

For more information on proving that you can't do simple unskilled work, see our articles on mental limitations that rule out all jobs and getting disability when you can't do sedentary work.

Medical Evidence You Need to Get Disability for Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder

Your medical record is the foundation of your disability claim. Social Security will look for evidence that your OCD symptoms are severe enough to keep you from working. The agency will look for this evidence in your psychiatric record, which should include the following:

• your medication history, including any selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) you've been prescribed such as Zoloft, Paxil, or Celexa. (SSRIs are a class of antidepressants that have been shown to be effective in treating OCD.)
• your doctor's or counselor's observations about how you're feeling and acting during a visit
• mental status examinations showing any abnormalities in your thinking (such as being unable to follow along in a conversation or misremembering simple facts), and
• progress notes from common OCD treatments such as cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) or exposure and response prevention (ERP).

Make sure that you also let Social Security know about any other conditions, illnesses, or disorders that you think are preventing you from working. Many disability applicants with a diagnosis of OCD have other mental health conditions, such as anxiety disorders or depressive disorders, that can magnify symptoms of OCD.

OCD might be the main reason that you can't work, but if you have any physical impairments in addition to your mental symptoms, be sure to mention them on your disability application. Social Security is required to consider the combined effects of your health problems when determining whether you're disabled. Multiple impairments can often add up to a finding of disability even when one condition alone isn't enough.

How to File for Social Security Benefits for OCD

Applying for disability benefits is a fairly straightforward process. Social Security provides several easy ways for you to start your disability claim:

• File online at www.ssa.gov/applyfordisability/.
• Call 800-772-1213 from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Friday. If you're deaf or hard of hearing, you can call the TTY number at 800-325-0778.
• Go in person to your nearest Social Security field office. You can find your local office using the agency's search tool here.

The amount of disability benefits you'll receive if your application is approved will depend on whether you're eligible for Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) or Supplemental Security Income (SSI). You can learn more in our article on how much you'll get if you qualify for disability benefits.

What If I Don't Qualify for Social Security Disability?

There are many reasons why claimants are denied for Social Security benefits. You might not meet the non-medical requirements for either of the two disability programs, SSDI or SSI, for example. Or perhaps your OCD symptoms don't interfere with your ability to work to such an extent that no jobs exist that you can perform. Regardless of reason, some claimants who receive disability denials decide to try returning to work.

The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) requires that employers must provide disabled employees with reasonable accommodations to perform their jobs. (42 U.S.C. § 12112(a)(5)(2025)). For people with obsessive-compulsive disorder, these accommodations might include:

• reminders, planners, calendars, and alerting devices to keep you on task
• a flexible schedule
• extra time to complete tasks as needed
• additional training time and training refreshers, or
• devices to help with spasms and tics.

Whether you've made use of reasonable accommodations at work before and it didn't work out, or you simply disagree with Social Security's decision that you're not disabled, you have the right to appeal within 60 days of receiving the denial letter. You'll probably have to appeal twice before you can have a hearing with an administrative law judge, which is where you have your best chances of getting approved for benefits.