Is It Hard To Get Disability For Mental Illness
Mental ailments may be just as incapacitating as physical illnesses. However, patients sometimes find it hard to get a disability for mental illnesses. Moreover, mental disability applications are dismissed more often than other disability claims. According to the National Institute of Mental Health, just two out of every ten patients with mental disorders receive disability compensation. Though ambiguous, this demonstrates how difficult it is to obtain disability compensation for mental illnesses. In such circumstances, consulting an experienced and professional social security lawyer in Sacramento may increase your chances of attaining disability benefits while assisting you throughout the procedure.
So, why is it so hard to procure social security benefits for mental disorders? There are several causes for this. To properly grasp this, continue reading!
Common Causes Why Are Mental Disability Claims Denied?
If your mental illness is on the list, but your application got refused, here are some things you may have done incorrectly:
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Insufficient Clinical Evidence:
Mental problems, unlike other impairments, do not present physically, making it more difficult to prove.
Physical deficiencies are easily demonstrated using x-ray or blood test findings. However, mental illness diagnostic tests might be subjective. The conclusions are often based on medical personnel's observations of the patient's behavior. Therefore, the Social Security Administration is more stringent in recognizing medical proof for mental problems.
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No History of Psychological Treatment:
The majority of mental disability applicants fail to give a treatment history for the condition for which they are claiming, which is true in situations of depression. Due to a lack of mental health facilities, most people manage depression themselves without consulting a psychiatrist. The SSA will have difficulty analyzing the applicant's health and how probable it is to impede their employment without the applicant's medical documents and treatment history.
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Meager Supporting Evidence:
Memory impairment testing, IQ tests, and reports from mental health specialists are a few examples of proof you should include in your application. However, the SSA will almost always need more documentation to support your claim, encompassing written testimony from persons you deal with regularly and case files from a social worker. Your claim will most likely be refused if your supporting proof is insufficient to justify it. Get the best disability attorney in Sacramento on your side to help your application approved.
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Noncompliance with Recommended Treatments:
If the SSA determines that you are not following the prescribed therapies for your mental condition, they may refuse your claim entirely. Remember, the SSA will want to ensure you are genuinely handicapped and not merely faking your condition to get free government assistance. One way to demonstrate this is your eagerness to improve so you may return to work sooner. If you are unwilling to follow through on the advised therapies, it indicates that you do not wish to improve your health.
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Bias in Society and Culture:
An inadequate understanding of the nature of mental diseases has created a cultural and societal prejudice towards those who suffer from them. Others will only urge them to "get over it" or "it's all in their brain." Unfortunately, this mindset pervades society at all levels, including some SSA employees, making proving eligibility for disability benefits much more challenging.
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Lacking Duration:
One essential criterion SSA uses to assess impairment is that it must be expected to endure at least a year or result in death. However, most mental illnesses do not have a set period. Some problems might improve in a few months with adequate therapy. Others, on the other hand, may last the patient's entire life.