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In this video Marc Whitehead, Board Certified Disability Attorney, discusses how someone can receive disability benefits for depression or Bi-Polar Disorder.

Similar to physical disabilities not everyone with depression qualifies for disability benefits, yet sever depression can significantly interfere with a persons daily activities and the ability to work. Depression is one of the leading causes of disability world wide.

Disability claims based on depression are routinely challenged by insurance companies, Social Security Administration and The Department of Veterans Affairs. If this has been your experience, it may be time to seek legal help in order to prove you are indeed disabled.

Depression is not a sign of personal weakness, it is a real mental illness with real causes. The cause may be due to Chemistry, Biology, life experiences, disorders of the brain caused by chemical imbalance, genetics, emotional/physical trauma or a hormone imbalance. Depression can also co exist with a painful medical condition or as a reaction to the condition.

There are different forms of depression disorders including major depression, dysthymic disorder, minor depression and bipolar disorder. Symptoms of depression and the severity of each symptom will vary between persons. Depression is an illness that affects the whole person. People who suffer from depression have trouble concentrating, sleeping or eating and have lost interest in taking care of their daily activities. They may also exhibit- avoidance of people, refound grief, and a lack of energy.

SSD & Depression:
To win SSD for depression you need to prove one thing: That your depression is sever enough to stop you from working. To determine a persons eligibility for benefits the SSA adheres to their Listings of Impairments. The Listing for depression is found under Mental Disorders.

If your condition is sever enough to satisfy these requirements, you'll be considered disabled by the SSA. The SSA will need medical evidence to support your exact limitations. This means that they will wanna see medical records and psychiatric records from doctors psychiatrists, physiologists, mental health clinics or other health facilities where you received treatment.

VA & Depression:
Depression disordered are often endured by Veterans would have lived through the emotional stress of War, the death or injury of fellow soldiers and comrades, living through unbearable conditions or struggling with their own physical injuries or disorders.

Veterans Disability benefits are based on the establishment of a service connected impairment. Disability ratings are assigned based on the severity of the impairment or combination of impairments. To arrive at a rating the VA relies on the VA schedule for rating disabilities. Depression is listed under Mental Disorders and further identified as a mood disorder. VA disability payments are then awarded based on this assessment.

Depressive disorders may begin because of experiences or injuries the Veteran had while in service. Traumatic brain injury is frequently responsible for the onset of depression. Depressive illness may be closely related to other service connected disorders, such as PTSD.

LTD & Depression:
You may also be able to clam disability benefits through your LTD insurance for your depression. Whether you have LTD insurance privately or through your employer, it's the insurance carrier who will process the claim. It has become routine practice for many insurance companies to deny legitimate claims for depression or to devalue these claims.

Insurance claims for depression disability present their own unique set of challenges- like insurers stating that the disability is not sever enough to qualify for disability. Symptoms of depression are emotional and abstract, sometimes with highs and lows which makes it difficult to measure its severity. This then allows for insurers to claim you do not meet their definition of disability.

Most insurance companies have a clause that states mental disorders as mental nervous for which the benefit pay period is limited to only two years. In their attempt to reduce payment periods your insurer may try to award benefits only for depression under the mental nervous condition clause with no separate recognition of the physical disability.

For more on how to prove your Depression or Bi-Polar Disorder qualifies you for disability benefits please feel free to download one or all of our three free eBooks:

The Social Security Puzzle
Disability Policies: How to Unravel the Mystery
Veterans Disability Claims: Strategies for a Winning Campaign

Visit www.disabilitydenials.com for a free downloadable copy

Or contact our office to discuss your particular disability issues at:
Marc Whitehead & Associates Attorney at Law, LLP
403 Heights Blvd
Houston, TX 77007
(713) 228-8888