Filing For Social Security Disability With An Anxiety Disorder Diagnosis

Stressful, harrowing ailments aren’t always physically induced. In today’s stressful world, many people struggle with feelings of apprehension, tension, and uneasiness in situations that, otherwise, wouldn’t warrant them. If they’re neglected long enough, they could manifest themselves in the form of panic attacks, phobia, terror, and overwhelming, unmanageable alarm. Symptoms such as vomiting, stomach pain, and frequent bouts of sickness caused by a lowered immune system are prevalent in severe cases. Anxiety disorders need to be taken seriously, especially when they keep you from working. If you suspect you have one, read on to learn more about the most common anxiety disorders affecting millions of Americans as we speak, and the Social Security Disability filing process for debilitating mental disorders. There is help out there, through Social Security Disability benefits,  if your anxiety disorder prevents you from working.

The Most Common Anxiety Disorders

There are five, most common types of anxiety that, if left untreated, could result in severe sickness and debilitation. All symptoms must last longer than 6 months to be medically diagnosed as an anxiety disorder. They include, but are not limited to:

• Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder-A disorder that develops in those who have experienced a shocking, terror-inducing event. Most commonly affecting war veterans, symptoms usually begin within three months of the traumatic event and include flashbacks, bad dreams, frightening thoughts. The avoidance of people or places related to the event follow. The disorder can be debilitating especially if your work environment is associated with the event itself.

• Phobia– Phobia is a marked or persistent fear of a specific object, situation or activity. Examples include fear of heights, arachnophobia, social phobia etc. If your job involves working with the public, social phobia could keep you from earning an income if symptoms start to affect physical health and daily functioning.

• General Anxiety Disorder– Excessive worry about minuscule, everyday problems manifested by constant tension and a heightened state of fear. The inability to relax causes high burnout, depression, insomnia, and digestive issues. Long-term effects include heart disease, autoimmune disease, and skin conditions.

• Panic Attack Disorder– Characterized by abrupt and extended periods of extreme terror accompanied by physical symptoms such as shortness of breath, chest pain, dizziness, and abdominal distress.

• Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder– Ritualistic behavior that’s engaged to reduce anxiety such as obsessive cleaning, hand washing to reduce recurrent thoughts of fear-based uncleanliness etc. The worst cases severely affect day-to-day functioning when one’s ritualistic behavior cannot be ceased.

Your Anxiety Disorder And Filing For Social Security Disability

Pursuant to Social Security regulation 12.06, which covers anxiety-related disorders, in order to file for Social Security Disability for your diagnosed anxiety disorder, you must have medically documented findings of general persistence accompanied by three of four specified symptoms. These symptoms include motor tension problems, autonomic hyperactivity, apprehensive expectations, and scanning (obsessive awareness of environmental threats.) Your medical documentation must also prove your phobia by showcasing your irrational fear of a specific object, activity or situation and seeking avoidance from it. If you fear you have a panic disorder that keeps you from working, medical documentation should highlight recurrent episodes of terror manifested by unpredictable onsets and a sense of impending doom. You must prove your diagnosis by presenting your symptoms through  tangible, medically documented proof. Once you’ve proven severe symptoms exist, you must provide proof that they have restricted daily life activities, difficulty maintaining social functioning, concentration, and repeated episodes of decompensation. Most importantly, proof that you cannot function independently outside of your residence is paramount to your seeking compensation for the inability to work. You must prove symptoms exist and how they keep you from working. It’s a complicated process that requires a lot of planning, getting in touch with former medical providers, psychiatrists, therapists etc. Contacting an attorney will streamline this process and remove the likelihood of error when presenting your case.

Call Jenkins Block & Associates To Seek Social Security Disability Benefits For Your Diagnosed Anxiety Disorder!

When choosing an attorney to guide you through the process of Social Security Disability benefits, it’s important to hire an individual experienced with the program and its requirements. Consulting an individual who has insight on Social Security and the application process will prove to be extremely valuable in the long run, especially when questions arise or uncertainty on how to proceed.

Before trying to work out intricate Social Security Disability qualifications on your own, contact our office to make sure you understand the program and process. Protect yourself, know your rights: call us and Get JBA First!

Jenkins Block & Associates has 40+ years of experience in successful SSD/SSI cases in Maryland & Virginia, in addition to being a member of The National Organization of Social Security Claimants Representatives. Call us at 1-800-243-2439 or contact us online to begin the process of filing your Social Security benefits!