Can u get disability for depression

How to Qualify for Social Security Disability Benefits with Depression — NAMI Dane County

By Rachel Gaffney, Outreach Specialist - Disability Benefits Center

Depression is a serious mental illness that affects millions of people. The symptoms of depression like anxiety, fatigue, and a sense of hopelessness can make it difficult for people who have depression to work. If you’ve been diagnosed with depression and you expect that you won’t be able to work for at least a year because of depression, you can file a claim for Social Security disability benefits. Disability benefits can be used to pay for basic living expenses so that you don’t have to worry about making ends meet when you’re too sick to work.

Medically Qualifying For Disability Benefits Because Of Depression

There are many different symptoms associated with depression and nearly all of them can be debilitating. In order for your claim for disability benefits to be approved you will need to show that your depression makes it impossible for you to work. To do that you will have to meet the requirements that the Social Security Administration has set. Those requirements can be found in the SSA Blue Book listing for depression. It says that in order to be eligible for disability benefits because of depression you must be able to show that you have at least five of these symptoms:

depressed mood
decreased interest in almost all activities
appetite disturbance (poor appetite or overeating) resulting in a change in weight
sleep disturbance (insomnia or oversleeping)
difficulty concentrating or thinking
feelings of worthlessness or guilt
thoughts of death or suicide
a slowing of physical movement and reactions, including speech, or increased physical agitation, such as hand wringing or pacing.

Additionally, you need to provide documentation showing that you have an extreme limitation in one of these areas or a marked limitation in two of these areas:

understanding, remembering, or applying information (the ability to understand instructions, learn new things, apply new knowledge to tasks, and use judgment in decisions)
interacting with others (the ability to use socially appropriate behaviors)
concentrating, persisting, or maintaining pace in performing tasks (the ability to complete tasks), and/or
adapting or managing oneself (having practical personal skills like paying bills, cooking, shopping, dressing, and practicing good hygiene).

Providing medical documentation showing that you meet the listing can be tough, but you can use statements from a psychologist, statements from former bosses or co-workers, family members, social workers, or anyone else who can speak to the impact that the symptoms of depression have had on your ability to work.

Medical Vocational Allowance For Depression

The standard of proof for getting disability benefits for depression is high, and some people may not meet the standard but still are unable to work. If that happens you can still be eligible for disability benefits under the Medical Vocational Allowance. To qualify this way you need to download the Residual Functional Capacity (RFC) evaluation form from the SSA website. Your doctor or psychologist needs to fill out this form and provide detailed information about your illness and the limitations you have as a result of that illness.

Then, the SSA will look at the RFC evaluation and your work history, the skills you have, and the limitations caused by your illness. They will try to find some type of work that you can do with the skills and limitations that you have. If they can’t find any kind of work that you can do then you will be eligible to receive Social Security disability benefits.

Filing Your Claim

Going through the process of filing a claim for Social Security disability benefits can take some time. The best thing to do immediately is to get your initial claim files. The sooner you file the sooner you could start receiving benefits. You can file a claim online or apply in person at the local SSA office.

Sources:

SSA’s Blue Book: https://www.ssa.gov/disability/professionals/bluebook/AdultListings.htm

Medical Evidence For Claims: https://www.disabilitybenefitscenter.org/glossary/acceptable-medical-source

RFC Form: https://secure.ssa.gov/apps10/poms/images/SSA4/G-SSA-4734-U8-1.pdf

Online Application: https://secure.ssa.gov/iClaim/dib

SSA Locations: https://www.disabilitybenefitscenter. org/state-social-security-disability

Disability Determination for Depression | AllLaw

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Depression can be so disruptive to a person's life that it interferes with everyday life and makes it impossible to work. If your depression is so severe, even with medication, that you can't work any type of job, you might qualify for disability benefits.

To get Social Security disability insurance (SSDI) or Supplemental Security Income (SSI), your condition will have to be well documented as well as severely debilitating—it must affect your ability to:

function socially
understand and remember information
concentrate, or
manage the tasks of daily living.

And you must have been diagnosed with depression that is persistent (meaning it's lasted at least one year or is expected to last at least one year). Your depression can be considered persistent even if you're not continuously depressed (that is, you have depressive episodes that come and go).

When Does Social Security Consider Depression as a Disability?

To qualify for disability benefits for depression, your condition must:

be severe enough to meet the requirements of Social Security's Blue Book impairment listing on depressive disorders (listing 12.04), or
interfere with your functioning to such an extent that the Social Security Administration (SSA) agrees that there are no jobs you can do.

Qualifying for Disability Benefits Based on Social Security's Depression Listing

To qualify under the SSA's official listing for depression, your depression must be characterized by at least five of the following:

depressed mood
decreased energy
difficulty concentrating or thinking
loss of interest in most activities
a slowing of physical movement or speech, or increased physical agitation, like pacing
poor appetite or overeating with weight gain or loss
insomnia or oversleeping
feelings of worthlessness or guilt, or
suicidal thoughts.

The SSA also requires that your depression cause extreme limitations in at least one (or a very serious limitation in at least two) of the following areas:

understanding and remembering instructions and learning new things
interacting with others appropriately
concentrating and completing tasks, or
managing yourself (handling change, being able to cook, shop, and pay bills, and practicing good hygiene).

Even if you don't meet the above requirements, you might still be able to qualify for disability benefits—if your depression has improved with medication, therapy, and/or psychosocial support, but your recovery is fragile, and you could experience a setback if you go back to work. Specifically, to qualify under this alternative:

Your depression must be medically documented as having lasted at least two years, and
You must have minimal capacity to adjust to changes in your environment or increases in mental demands.

Qualifying for Disability Based on Reduced Abilities Due to Depression

If you don't qualify under the SSA's requirements for major depression, above, you might still be able to get disability benefits. The SSA will consider your depression symptoms and how much they impair your ability to do the usual activities of daily living and if there's any kind of work you can be expected to do.

The SSA will give you a rating of the type of work it thinks you can do:

skilled work
semi-skilled work, or
unskilled work.

This is called your residual functional capacity (RFC), and in the case of depression, it's called a mental RFC rather than a physical RFC.

If the SSA finds that you can do at least unskilled work—which is likely if you didn't meet the official listing above—you won't get disability benefits. But if the SSA finds that you can't perform even unskilled work (because, for instance, your concentration is markedly limited or you can't sustain an ordinary routine), the SSA might grant you benefits under a "medical-vocational allowance."

And if you have any type of physical impairment in addition to depression, your chance of qualifying for benefits can change. For example, let's say you get a mental RFC for unskilled work and a physical RFC for sedentary work. There might be very few jobs you can do in this category, and you might be able to qualify for benefits under a medical-vocational allowance.

Medical Evidence Required for Disability Based on Depression

Your treating doctor will need to submit a comprehensive psychiatric report and a well-documented psychiatric medical record to the SSA that shows the history of your depression. Your psychiatric record should include:

all treatments you tried, including the types of medication and therapy
how effective each treatment or medication was (or wasn't), and
the side effects of each treatment.

Your doctor should also include detailed examples of how your depression affects your daily activities and your ability to hold a job.

Starting a Disability Claim for Depression

You can apply for Social Security disability benefits (both SSDI and SSI) online at your convenience. You can access the online application from anywhere at any time and pause the application process as much as you need to. Or you can call the SSA at 800-772-1213 (TTY 1-800-325-0778) to set up an appointment to fill out an application for disability benefits.

When you fill out your application, include a detailed description of how your depression affects:

your daily life and the activities you used to do
your social functioning and how often you get out of the house
your ability to concentrate and complete tasks quickly and follow directions, and
how often you have episodes of worsening symptoms.

If you have both depression and a physical impairment that makes it impossible for you to work (or if you're worried that your depression doesn't meet the SSA's listing), consider hiring a disability lawyer to help you file your Social Security claim. And if your initial claim gets denied, an attorney can help you file an appeal with the SSA.

Depressive disorders shorten human life by 3.8%

Depressive disorders shorten human life by 3.8% - Newspaper.Ru

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06 November 2013, 15:26 Science

100%

Depressive disorders are a major cause of disability and a factor in the risk of coronary heart disease and suicide. On average, depression shortens life by 3.8%.

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Every autumn, the pages of glossy magazines are adorned with advice on how to deal with depression. The advisers have in mind a slight despondency caused by a cold snap and prolonged rains. Real depression is a more serious illness, fraught with disability and even premature death. Experts from several medical centers in Australia, Canada and the United States analyzed more than 400 million cases of depressive disorders reported in 2010, their distribution across countries, gender and age, as well as the impact of depression on the number of suicides and the occurrence of coronary heart disease. The results of the study published in the journal PLOS Medicine indicate that depression is one of the main causes of disability, it shortens people's lives by an average of 3.8% and places a heavy burden on health care.

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Depressive disorders cause a feeling of melancholy and hopelessness that lasts for months and sometimes years.

Patients lose interest in their usual activities, they develop physical ailments such as sleep disturbance. One depressive disorder, clinical depression, is a chronic illness that can lead to suicide. It includes at least one episode, lasting at least two weeks, during which the patient constantly experiences intense anguish, sometimes committing suicide. There is a milder form of depression - dysthymia . Patients with dysthymia are constantly unhappy, these are the eternal Pierrots. Both types of depression are treated with antidepressants and psychotherapy.

Researchers analyzed available statistics and surveys and counted 298 million cases of clinical depression and 108 million cases of dysthymia in 2010. Even small children suffer from these disorders, starting from the age of five, but the main contingent of patients is adults of working age. Women get sick more often than men: they accounted for 187 million cases of depression and 62 million cases of dysthymia, while men accounted for 111 million and 44 million cases, respectively.

100%

Scientists have calculated how many years people spend on disability caused by depression, and how many years of healthy life they have lost due to associated complications and premature death (clinical depression contributes to the development of coronary heart disease and provokes patients to commit suicide).

In the 1990s and 2000s, depressive disorders were one of the leading causes of disability.

In 2010, the disease is not losing ground. Depressive disorders were the second leading cause of disability. Clinical depression reduces life by an average of 2.5%, and dysthymia by 0.5%. When depression-induced suicide and coronary disease are taken into account, this rises to 3.8%.

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These are averages. In different countries they get sick in different ways. Researchers associate different levels of morbidity with military conflicts, sexual violence, and child abuse. The leaders in incidence are Afghanistan, North Africa and the Middle East. The most likely reason for this situation is protracted military conflicts. Often and seriously fall ill with depressive disorders in Russia and Eastern Europe, the least common in Japan, China, Australia and Mexico.

The relative severity of depressive disorders also varies.

Depression ranks 11th among the disabling diseases, this is the world average,

but in North Africa, the Middle East and the Pacific coast of Latin America (in the Andes) it is higher, where depression ranks third among the causes disability. In South West Africa, depression is only 19th, not because of a quiet life, but because it has been supplanted by infectious diseases such as AIDS and malaria.

Researchers emphasize that depression should be a focus of attention, a priority for public health.

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