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Can I get Social Security Disability for depression?

On Behalf of | Feb 3, 2015 | Social Security Disability Benefits for Illness

There are many conditions that can leave a person disabled and unable to work. Not all of them are entirely physical. There are mental disorders that can make holding down a job impossible. The spectrum of possible issues is so broad, in fact, that the Social Security Administration has set aside nine specific diagnostic categories.

If a person can demonstrate that they suffer from any one of the mental disorders and can properly document that the impairment is such that their ability to work is restricted, they may be able to consider seeking benefits for Social Security Disability Insurance.

What too often happens, however, is that individuals applying for SSDI benefits fail to provide the paperwork officials want. It’s not for lack of trying. They probably have never gone through the process before and so don’t know what’s expected.

A denial leads to appeals, which have their own set of requirements. That results in further delays in getting approved. Overcoming these hurdles to obtain benefits to which you are legally entitled is easier when an attorney with experience is at your side.

Depression is among the mental illnesses on the list of conditions that can warrant a grant of disability benefits. And ongoing research suggests that a clear physical impairment may be associated with it, as well.

Scientists at Canada’s Centre for Addiction and Mental Health reported recently the discovery that patients suffering from clinical depression had a 30 percent increase in brain inflammation during depressive episodes. The researchers say the finding raises hopes that treatments can be developed that can reduce the inflammation and ease symptoms of depression.

It seems we can only wait now to see what happens.

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