Everyone experiences a little anxiety from time to time. However, some people’s anxiety is so severe that it affects their ability to work. If you suffer from anxiety that affects your ability to function at work and home, you may be eligible for disability benefits through the Social Security Administration (SSA).
Common Anxiety Disorders
As opposed to occasional nervousness or anxiousness, anxiety disorders are serious medical conditions. Common anxiety disorders include:
- Generalized anxiety disorder: This disorder causes excessive and persistent worry.
- Post-traumatic stress disorder: This disorder causes recurring thoughts about a past distressing event.
- Obsessive-compulsive disorder: This disorder causes sufferers to repeatedly perform certain tasks.
- Panic disorder: This disorder causes sufferers to experience significant physical responses to mental events.
- Agoraphobia: This disorder causes fear or avoidance of public places.
Applying for Social Security Disability Benefits
If you want to receive Social Security disability benefits, you must provide the SSA with medical evidence that you suffer from an anxiety disorder that has rendered you unable to work for at least 12 months. Examples of medical evidence include psychological testing results and medical evaluations diagnosing you with an anxiety disorder.
When analyzing claims of social security based on anxiety, the administration particularly looks at the length and frequency of treatment by a mental health provider, the medication and dosage prescribed to the claimant, and hospitalizations the claimant may have had due to physical manifestations as a result of the anxiety.
Qualifying for Social Security Disability Benefits
To qualify for Social Security disability benefits, you must meet the SSA’s disability requirements. If you meet the SSA’s disability requirements, you will be presumed disabled for purposes of Social Security disability benefits. To be considered disabled by the SSA, you must provide medical evidence of anxiety that is characterized by three or more of the following:
- Restlessness
- Difficulty concentrating
- Muscle tension
- Irritability
- Trouble sleeping
- Fatigue
Also, you must demonstrate that your anxiety affects your ability to function. Most applicants who are approved for Social Security disability benefits for an anxiety disorder have serious problems in at least two of the following areas:
- Remembering, understanding, or using information
- Interacting with other people
- Maintaining pace or concentration when performing tasks
- Taking care of oneself or adapting to change
If you meet the above qualifications, you may be eligible for Social Security Disability Insurance or Supplemental Security Income. However, to determine your eligibility, it is recommended that you first contact a Texas SSDI and SSI attorney for assistance.
Contact Our El Paso SSDI and SSI Attorney
If you suffer from an anxiety disorder in Texas, you should contact a Texas SSDI and SSI attorney for assistance. When you choose attorney Jon Sipes to handle your SSDI or SSI claim, he will utilize his broad SSDI and SSI knowledge and experience to walk you through the Social Security disability benefits application process. Jon Snipes regularly helps clients in Texas obtain SSDI and SSI, and he understands what it takes to obtain benefits under the SSDI and SSI programs. If you’re ready to get started, please contact us today to schedule a free consultation.