Disability Benefits for Anxiety

Is Anxiety A Disability?

Anxiety might sound like a light term that is often related to ‘stress,’ but it can lead to much greater risks if left untreated. Anxiety is a broad classification in the field of medicine, and today there are over 40 million adults in the US who suffer from this issue.

Anxiety is defined by certain sensations or feelings such as rapid heart rate, tension, uneasiness, and apprehension. People are asked totry simple remedies such as drinking water, breathing calmly, or practicing meditation. However, these remedies might only work until a certain point.

In cases where the symptoms are severe, and the anxiety disorder is a chronic condition or turns into a permanent social phobia or mental illness, it can actually impact 80% of your regular lifestyle. A large percentage of people today suffer from social anxiety, which is negatively impacting their professional lives. Sensitivity to social inhibition and facing issues in social situations, are some of the symptoms of a degrading anxiety disorder.

But here, we will provide information about the details of attaining SSD and SSI for Anxiety. If you are suffering from a certain anxiety disorder or you know someone who is suffering and in need of social security benefit aids, you have come to the right place.

Can You Get Disability For Anxiety?

The first thing that the SSA will consider in evaluating your disability benefits, is the array of symptoms from which you suffer. If your condition is under the medical listings, the SSA will not have to go further in their evaluation. However, there are also other criteria that they will consider, including education, past work experiences, and age.

Apart from the rules, the SSA also considers certain limitations in your daily activities. This list may include:

• Social communication
• Focusing on a task
• Controlling behavior or adapting to situations
• Remembering basic information

Individuals suffering from anxiety can also face problems in communicating with their managers, co-workers, or teachers or become unable to work altogether. Social interactions or soft skills are incredibly vital in today’s society. This can significantly impact their academic or career lives. In such severe cases, anxiety is considered to be a disability and you may qualify for disability benefits for anxiety.

Symptoms of Anxiety;

The common symptoms of anxiety disorder in medical terms include panic disorder, phobia, obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), or even generalized anxiety disorder. But, when it comes to the listing for Social Security Disability for Anxiety, there are certain specifications.

The listing considers two sets of symptoms that you will need to show as proof to attain anxiety disability allowance.

Agoraphobia or Panic disorder

One of the prevalent anxiety issues that can impact your work life is a social anxiety disorder. So, the first set of the listings for Agoraphobia is quite similar to the symptoms of social anxiety disorders. It might include being outside, trying to get onto a bus, shopping in a mall, or waiting in a line. Or the symptoms might also include frequent chains of panic attacks due to a certain ongoing issue in the individual’s life. The problems might be very mild and even the fear of experiencing further panic attacks may occur as well. Anxiety disability benefits are given based on the symptoms from which the applicant is suffering.

General anxiety disorder

The second set of listings is categorized by the regular anxiety disorder issues but with additional mental health troubles or on a moderately severe level. The psychological or psychiatric records of the patient must show that they suffer from the symptoms on a regular basis. The symptoms might include,

• Concentration problems
• Restlessness
• Muscle tension
• Irritability
• Easily Fatigue
• Sleep disturbance

Can you get SSI for anxiety?

If anxiety is hindering you from working/ earning, and not letting you lead a normal life, you may qualify for disability benefits. These benefits are given to help the person manage the basic expenses to live life smoothly.

Although, proving disability due to anxiety can become a challenge for many people. You may qualify only when you can prove that the symptoms you are facing due to anxiety disorder are not decreasing and getting worse day by day. Appropriate documents in favor of your claim from the health care professionals and other sources can make your case strong. 

The anxiety belongs to get hard of document criteria because listing all the discomforts and other issues it causes to the patient is difficult to convey through words sometimes. To get SSI for anxiety, it is mandatory to provide treatment history with documents from medical professionals, like the physician and the mental health professional.

How to Get Disability for Anxiety?

Social anxiety is assessed in the Bluebook under section 12.06 by the SSA

. The section is titled“anxiety and obsessive-compulsive disorders.”If you have accumulated enough credits in your accounts, you may become eligible for SSD. And if this is not the case, SSI can be considered for you if you are eligible based on your income level. The SSA will take the appropriate decision after analyzing all aspects.

The SSA evaluates the approval of the benefits in combination of the factors mentioned above. As an applicant, you need to match three or more anxiety symptoms in the SSA listing or the blue book, display proof of activity limitations, and be prepared with your medical documents and records to prove symptoms.

You might also have to undergo additional tests to prove symptoms as requested by the SSA. To be eligible for a Disability Allowance for anxiety, one needs to meet the criteria listed above. It is thus suggested to consult an anxiety disability attorney to make the application process smoother from the start.