Your anxiety may be an invisible disability to most, but the suffering that comes with it may feel very real to you. The Social Security Administration (SSA) acknowledges just how debilitating anxiety may be. This is why it includes anxiety in their list of recognized mental and emotional disabilities for Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) benefits. Continue reading to learn the possibility of filing for benefits for your anxiety and how an experienced New Jersey mental & emotional disability SSDI benefits attorney at The Law Offices of Sheryl Gandel Mazur can help prove your case.
Is it possible to file an SSDI benefits claim for my anxiety?
Generally speaking, the definition of anxiety is a mental health disorder that comes with intense, excessive, and persistent worry and fear about day-to-day situations; such feelings that are strong enough to interfere with how such daily activities are conducted.
Further, the SSA includes social anxiety disorder, panic disorder, generalized anxiety disorder, agoraphobia, and obsessive-compulsive disorder as an eligible category for SSDI benefits. What these disorders have in common are the excessive feelings of anxiety, worry, apprehension, and fear; along with an avoidance of feelings, thoughts, activities, objects, places, and people. Without further ado, symptoms associated with these disorders are as follows:
- Difficulties in concentrating.
- Experiences of panic attacks.
- Experiences of obsessions and compulsions.
- Experiences of sleep disturbance, fatigue, and restlessness.
- Frequent physical complaints and muscle tension.
- Hyper-vigilance and constant thoughts and fears about safety.
This is all to say that, if you suffer from any of the aforementioned symptoms, then you may have a solid case in your SSDI benefits application.
What documentation do I need to prove my anxiety?
It is not enough to experience the aforementioned symptoms. That is, you must also prove their existence and their overall prevalence in your day-to-day life.
For example, in your SSDI benefits application, you must provide medical documentation of your diagnosis. Such documentation may include a doctor’s note from your treating mental health physician who initially diagnosed you with this disorder. Your physician may also provide a statement clarifying that you have been suffering from your anxiety for, at minimum, the past two consecutive years; along with how you are receiving ongoing medical treatment (i.e., therapy sessions and prescription medications) to manage or diminish your symptoms.
In addition, you may ask your family and friends to provide a written testimony covering how your anxiety affects your life daily. You may also ask the same of your former employer, who may cover how your anxiety inhibits you from performing your job functions and overall from maintaining a gainful employment status.
At the end of the day, your filling out an SSDI benefits application requires you to have a skilled New Jersey SSDI eligibility attorney in your corner. So please get in touch with us at The Law Offices of Sheryl Gandel Mazur.
