Are any of you on disability due to anxiety?

7 Comments

1. AnonymousJanuary 16,2025 at 8:00PM UTC

   I've work with someone who suffered with severe anxiety and tried desperately to be on permanent disability. Unfortunately they were denied after several attempts.

2. AnonymousJanuary 16,2025 at 10:22PM UTC

   Yes, I do and they have a psychiatrist so with much work, they got on medical disability. But my understanding is you can't be on both medical disability and get social security benefits.

3. Lakota BullJanuary 18,2025 at 1:32PM UTC

   Not yet but give it time.

4. AnonymousJanuary 18,2025 at 2:30PM UTC

   No, but I just returned from a LOA and short term disability covered it. It was for mental health

5. AnonymousJanuary 19,2025 at 2:14AM UTC

   There are very strict criteria to receive disability for clinical anxiety. I had a friend who had anxiety and wanted to collect, but it doesn't work that way (she could function, she just didn't want to). I'm not saying that's what you're trying to do nor deter you, but you should know the following:

   1. Severe Diagnosis

   Anxiety must be diagnosed by a licensed professional (e.g., psychiatrist, psychologist, or physician).

   The condition must be severe and persistent, affecting their ability to function in daily life or maintain employment.

   2. Medical Documentation

   Detailed records of the diagnosis, treatments (e.g., therapy, medication), and their outcomes.

   Evidence of ongoing treatment and compliance with recommended care.

   3. Criteria Under SSA Listings

   The Social Security Administration (SSA) evaluates anxiety under Listing 12.06 - Anxiety and Obsessive-Compulsive Disorders in their Blue Book. They must prove the following:

   Symptoms: Excessive anxiety, worry, or fear, including at least three of these: restlessness, fatigue, difficulty concentrating, irritability, muscle tension, or sleep disturbance.

   Functional Limitations: The anxiety must severely limit their ability to:

   Understand, remember, or apply information.

   Interact with others.

   Concentrate, persist, or maintain pace.

   Adapt or manage themselves.

   Alternatively, prove a history of anxiety lasting at least 2 years that is managed with treatment but still limits their ability to work.

   4. Work and Earnings

   Must be unable to perform any substantial gainful activity (SGA), defined as earning less than $1,470 per month (2023 figure; updated annually).

   5. Duration of Impairment

   Anxiety must have lasted, or be expected to last, at least 12 months or result in death.

   6. Vocational Evidence

   The SSA assesses whether their anxiety prevents them from performing not just their previous job but any job they could reasonably be expected to do.

   Steps to Take:

   Collect Medical Evidence: Ensure their medical records are detailed and up-to-date.

   Apply for Disability: File a claim online or at the local SSA office.

   Consult a Disability Lawyer (if necessary): They can help strengthen the application and appeal denials.

6. AnonymousJanuary 21,2025 at 1:34PM UTC

   Collecting disability through SS usually requires the assistance of an attorney to help you navigate everything. It takes upwards of 3 years to collect if you can collect. There is a post on here that lays out about 6 things that are worth noting.

   Not judging here, just letting you know it is usually a huge hill to climb. I had to testify at a disability hearing about an employee who was trying to be classified as physically disabled. IT was an interesting process on my end - I can only imagine the level of documentation and processes on their end. No he did not qualify as disabled as we would have been able to make accommodations for everything he was claiming made him disabled and unable to work. .

7. Colleen HansonJanuary 21,2025 at 4:31PM UTC

   I just recently got approved for disability after a 2.5 year battle, and that is because I have an incurable cancer and the treatments I require diminished my respiratory system immensely. It is a HUGE battle! I also suffer from anxiety, even moreso since my cancer diagnosis and the mental health professional THEY sent me to noted "no anxiety" present, even though my anxiety was well documented through my own mental health professional over the last 5 years. Disability goes by what THEIR doctors say, not the people who are actually treating you. They pay their own doctors, specialists and reviewers to find "no" disabilities to avoid paying out (at least in my experience). I was fortunate to have a really good attorney who asked all the right questions of their "specialists" during my Appeals Hearing, so I was finally approved. I also had a friend who found out she had Stage 4 cancer and was denied disability until the day she died (14 months later). The system is severely broken.