Many Social Security Disability (SSD) claims revolve around physical injuries. You may have a brain injury or a spinal cord injury that makes it impossible for you to work, for instance. However, though these cases are common, it’s important not to assume that only physical injuries qualify. You may also qualify if you have a mental disorder that you’re dealing with, which can certainly keep you out of the workforce just like a physical injury or disability.
To sort these disorders and determine who qualifies, the Social Security Administration (SSA) divides most of the disorders into 11 main categories. They are as follows:
- Personality and impulse-control disorders
- Neurocognitive disorders
- Intellectual disorder
- Schizophrenia spectrum and other psychotic disorders
- Somatic symptom and related disorders
- Eating disorders
- Neurodevelopmental disorders
- Depressive, bipolar and related disorders
- Autism spectrum disorder
- Anxiety and obsessive-compulsive disorders
- Trauma- and stressor-related disorders
Now, qualifying on the basis of these disorders will require a proper medical diagnosis. People often have a tendency to assume they suffer from mental disorders based on observable symptoms — how many times have you heard someone blame their attention to detail on OCD? — without going to a doctor. If your condition warrants these benefits, you need to have that medical paperwork backing it up. The doctor may also be able to prescribe you certain medications that can help you deal with the disorder, even if it is of a type that can never actually be cured.
Once you do start down this path, it is also very important to know what legal steps you should take to work toward the best possible future.