Does SSA consider depression a disability?
Depression, as with any other disease or impairment, is a disability only if it is severe enough to prevent a person from working. “Depression” comes in different “packages”, varies from person to person, and can severally impede a person’s daily activities. In addition, the depression may be compounded by another impairment, such as a bipolar personality disorder. Medical records from a physician or psychologist are extremely important and should indicate the severity of a claimant’s depression. SSA will determine whether a claimant’s depression prevents him from concentrating, whether he suffers from short term memory loss, whether there are suicide attempts or threats, whether the activities of daily living indicate that the claimant is unable to care for himself, and how the claimant interacts with other people. Additionally the number of episodes that occur throughout the year play an important role in determining whether a person is disabled, i.e., is he getting worse, improving,
Related Questions
- I am currently receiving SSA disability benefits due to a problem unrelated to my DOE work. How will you determine if I have a wage loss due to my accepted illness?
- Does depression mediate the relation between fatigue severity and disability in chronic fatigue syndrome sufferers?
- Do medical opinions from a treating source affect SSAs determination of disability?
