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Mental Disabilities And Social Security

2 February 2017 by Joan Bradley

Not all medical conditions are apparent through physical signs, some are known only to the victim. If you are unable to work at your job because of a mental issue, such as depression, anxiety or other disturbances, you are just as eligible to receive Social Security disability benefits as those with more obvious physical ailments and conditions. That being said, it can prove more of a challenge to get those benefits with a mental disability. Even in the best of circumstances, getting Social Security benefits can be a long and confusing experience. If you are suffering from a mental disability and can no longer work at your job, read on for more information about getting disability pay.

Proof of Disability

The key to getting disability benefits for any kind of medical condition is to show proof with a complete record of medical care. With a mental disability, you must show that you have sought treatment for your emotional or mental issue and that you are in continuous treatment. The very nature of many mental disabilities can mean a reluctance to stick with a treatment plan, but without treatment you have zero chances of getting monthly payments. It is not enough to see a therapist once or twice, you must be able to show, through medical records, that you have had treatment from, at least, the time you claimed to be unable to work up to the present. It should be noted that while treatment by mental health practitioners can be compelling proof of your disability, you can also qualify by seeing your family doctor and taking the prescribed medications.

Decompensation and How It Affects Your Claim

This is a big word that can make or break your disability claim. The short explanation is the inability to do things on your job that you used to be able to do. For example, your job involved giving presentations in front of large groups of people and you have been able to accomplish that job just fine for many years. For the last few months, however, you are suffering from so much anxiety that you are now unable to speak in front of people. This is decompensation, and while the presence of this mental health symptom is not a requirement for disability benefits, it can be vital to your claim if you can show and prove it.

Quite a few Social Security claims are denied on the first go-round, but there is always an opportunity to appeal that denial. Be sure to speak to a Social Security attorney like Timothy  W Hudson Attorney for support during the appeal process.

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