Disability Benefit Eligibility with a Mental Health Condition

? Disability Information ? Types of Disability ? ? Psychological Disorders

Information provided by Jeffrey W. Goldblatt Law Office - Published: 2012-08-27

Eligibility for Disability Benefits Due to a Mental Health Condition - People who cannot work because of major depression, bipolar disorder, anxiety, panic or other mental health conditions should understand their eligibility for SSDI or SSI benefits.

Most everyone understands that the Social Security Administration (SSA) provides disability benefits for physical injuries and disabling diseases, from paralysis or traumatic brain injury to chronic painful conditions such as carpal tunnel or back pain. However, the range of conditions covered by Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) and Supplemental Security Income (SSI) includes many debilitating mental disorders.

People who cannot work because of major depression, bipolar disorder, anxiety, panic or other mental health conditions should understand their eligibility for SSDI or SSI benefits. Evaluation of disability benefits eligibility for mental disorders requires adequate documentation of a medically determinable impairment that matches specific criteria.

The SSA arranges mental disorders into nine diagnostic categories, each with their own required level of severity:

• Organic mental disorders associated with brain dysfunction
• Schizophrenic, paranoid and other psychotic disorders
• Affective disorders, characterized by mood disturbances, including manic and depressive syndromes
• Mental retardation
• Anxiety-related disorders, including phobic disorders and obsessive/compulsive syndromes
• Somatoform disorders, which produce physical symptoms but have no known organic or physiological cause, including chronic pain disorders
• Personality disorders that significantly impair a person's social or occupational functioning or cause subjective distress
• Substance addiction disorders, which can be based on various diagnoses from depression and anxiety to liver damage and pancreatitis
• Autistic disorder, based on qualitative deficits in reciprocal social interaction, verbal and nonverbal communication skills, and imaginative activity

Helping Clients Pursue Disability Benefits for Depression or Anxiety Disorders

People who wonder if they are eligible for Social Security disability benefits for depression, anxiety or other mental health issues should be aware that the SSA requires thorough documentation of a person's medical history and inability to work. An SSDI attorney can explain the complexities of the process, the likelihood of an administrative appeal and other factors involved in seeking disability benefits.

Article provided by Jeffrey W. Goldblatt Law Office - Visit us at www.jgoldblattlawfirm.com

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Source: http://www.disabled-world.com/disability/types/psychological/eligible.php

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