When seeking Social Security disability benefits, it is very common to have a physical disability. Mobility issues are some of the most common in the United States, for example. Someone who has suffered a spinal cord injury may have lost all mobility below that injury site, so it is clearly impossible for them to work. They need the Social Security disability benefits just so that they can make ends meet.
But it is important not to assume that all disabilities look the same. You may still qualify for SSDI benefits even if you don’t have a physical injury at all. In fact, many mental disorders can qualify.
What are some examples?
This is by no means an exhaustive list, but here are a few mental conditions that may qualify for government benefits:
- Severe anxiety
- Clinical depression
- Bipolar disorder
- Autism spectrum disorder
- Schizophrenia spectrum disorder
- A range of developmental disorders
- Post-traumatic stress disorder
As with physical injuries, the stipulation is that the condition makes it impossible for you to work. This condition must last for at least a year.
This means that the severity of the disorder becomes very important to your case. Some people who have clinical depression are able to take medication and continue working. Others who also have clinical depression find that these treatment methods do not work, and they find it impossible to hold down a job. Some people with PTSD recover over time, while others deal with symptoms for life.
This just demonstrates how each case is unique and why it’s so important to understand what legal steps to take as you seek the benefits that you deserve.