Social Security Disability And Mental Illness In North Carolina

In this article, you can discover…

• The mental health conditions that qualify for SSDI.
• The documents and resources you’ll need to prove your mental illness.
• How an attorney can help you overcome stigma and get the benefits you need.

What Mental Health Conditions Qualify For Social Security Disability?

Technically, any mental health condition diagnosed by a doctor that would leave you unable to work full-time could qualify you for SSDI. One of the difficulties that comes with trying to prove that you have been left disabled is that mental health conditions affect people in different ways.

For example, take a condition like depression or anxiety. Such a condition might truly decimate one person’s ability to work while another person is able to manage their condition and work full-time.

What Social Security typically looks for in mental health impairment cases are the kinds of diagnoses that require hospitalization or potent medications. For example, schizophrenia or severe PTSD. Apart from this, it’s not so much your condition that makes you eligible for SSDI but rather how your condition limits your ability to work.

How Do I Prove That My Mental Illness Is Disabling When Applying For SSDI?

One of the clearest ways to prove that your mental illness is disabling is to show that there is a long-term treatment process for the mental illness. This is also referred to as “longitudinal health treatment”. Essentially, you will need documentation that shows that you’ve been taking medications, receiving counseling, and have been going through various treatments to manage your mental health.

Another way to prove a mental health disability is to present evidence of how your mental health has impacted your work performance and day-to-day life. Poor work evaluations, police reports, and testimony from friends and family can all be helpful. This evidence must show that your condition is more than just a bad week or a bad month, but represents an ongoing, chronic, and serious condition.

Attorney Justin Wraight is a knowledgeable, compassionate SSDI attorney serving North Carolina. Since 2003, he’s helped clients just like you overcome stigma, collect evidence of their mental health condition, and seek the benefits they both need and deserve.

Have questions, or in need of legal help? Reach out to Cardinal Law Partners for a free initial consultation today.

Why Is Ongoing Mental Health Treatment Critical For A Successful SSDI Claim?

The law requires that any kind of impairments that are disabling have to last or be expected to last at least one year. Having seasonal depression, experiencing grief over a loved one passing away, or having a difficult month is not enough to qualify you.

Ongoing mental health treatment can help prove that, for example, you have been deeply depressed for one year or more. You are not improving, are still struggling, and find employment impossible as a result. Documentation from this treatment is key to establishing how long your mental illness has persisted, that it is not lifting, and that you will not be returning to work any time soon.

How Can A Disability Attorney Help Me Get Approved For Mental Health-Related SSDI?

Sometimes, it takes somebody who is not within your immediate social circle to step back and help you build a strong case for disability. Your attorney can interact with doctors to verify that your doctors are seeing the whole picture. Your lawyer can also make sure your doctors are providing supportive statements to help prove your condition is severe, disabling, and persistent.

An attorney who knows SSDI law can help put these pieces together in a way that Social Security will understand, listen to, and respect.

How Does Stigma Around Mental Illness Impact Clients’ Willingness To Pursue Disability Claims?

It can be very difficult to admit that your mental health issue is truly disabling. The label “disabled” can be embarrassing for some. But if your mental health is making full-time work impossible, you should speak honestly about this with your doctor and reach out to an SSDI attorney.

Ask your doctor for their help and opinion, as mental health specialists can often recognize when a condition is truly disabling. With their support, you can start taking steps to get the help and benefits you need.

Still Have Questions? Ready To Get Started?

For more information on mental illness and SSDI in North Carolina, an initial consultation is your next best step. Get the information and legal answers you are seeking by calling (833) 444-4257 today.