Anxiety is that feeling that most people get before a big exam, presentation or a first date. An anxiety disorder is an illness where overwhelming sensations of anxiety fill a person’s life fears that are chronic, constant, and can grow progressively worse. People with anxiety disorders are tormented by panic attacks, obsessive thoughts, flashbacks of traumatic events, nightmares, or countless frightening physical symptoms. Some people with anxiety disorders become unable to even leave their own homes. Fortunately, research has shown that there are ways to effectively treat anxiety disorders. The information below was obtained from the National Institute of Mental Health at www.nimh.nih.gov.
Types of Anxiety Disorders
- Panic Disorder: repeated episodes of intense fear that strike often and without warning, with physical symptoms like chest pain, heart palpitations, shortness of breath, dizziness, abdominal distress, feelings of unreality, and fear of dying.
- Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder: repeated, unwanted thoughts or compulsive behaviors that seem impossible to stop or control.
- Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder: persistent symptoms that occur after experiencing or witnessing a traumatic event such as rape or other criminal assault, war, child abuse, natural or human-caused disasters, or crashes. Nightmares, flashbacks, numbing of emotions, depression, and feeling angry, irritable or distracted and being easily startled are common. Family members of victims can also develop this disorder.
- Phobias: two major types of phobias are social phobia and specific phobia. People with social phobia have an overwhelming and disabling fear of scrutiny, embarrassment, or humiliation in social situations, which leads to avoidance of many potentially pleasurable and meaningful activities. People with specific phobia experience extreme, disabling, and irrational fear of something that poses little or no actual danger; the fear leads to avoidance of objects or situations and can cause people to limit their lives unnecessarily.
- Generalized Anxiety Disorder: constant, exaggerated worrisome thoughts and tension about everyday routine life events and activities, lasting at least six months. Almost always anticipating the worst even though there is little reason to expect it; accompanied by physical symptoms, such as fatigue, trembling, muscle tension, headache, or nausea.
Social Security Benefits
For many people, anxiety by itself or related to other medical conditions, can be so overwhelming that it prevents concentration, thinking, or even leaving the home. If your anxiety prevents you from working and interferes with your daily living, you may qualify for financial assistance from Social Security. The most important thing you can do for your Social Security case is to see a mental health provider. Unlike with physical conditions, there are no x-rays or blood tests that can prove your anxiety. Therefore, accurate and continuous records of treatment are vital in winning your case.
Social Security Process
Social Security evaluates each person’s claim for benefits using the following five steps:
- Are you working? If you are working in 2006 and your earnings average more than $860 a month, you generally cannot be considered disabled. If your back injury prevents you from working, we go to Step 2.
- Is your condition “severe”? Your back injury interferes with basic work-related activities, you claim will be considered. If it does not, we will find that you are not disabled. If your condition does interfere with basic work-related activities, we go to Step 3.
- Is your condition found in the list of disabling conditions? For each of the major body systems, we maintain a list of medical conditions that are so severe they automatically mean that you are disabled. Some back conditions that appear on this list are stenosis, degenerative disc disease, lumbar back pain with positive straight leg raising tests, and nerve root compression. If your back condition is not on the list, we have to decide if it is of equal severity to a medical condition that is on the list. If it is, we will find that you are disabled. If it is not, we then go to Step 4.
- Can you do the work you did previously? If your condition is severe but not at the same or equal level of severity as a medical condition on the list, then we must determine if the back pain interferes with your ability to do the work you did previously. If it does not, your claim will be denied. If it does, we proceed to Step 5.
- Can you do any other type of work? If you cannot do the work you did in the past, we see if you are able to adjust to other work. We consider your medical conditions and your age, education, past work experience and any transferable skills you may have. If you cannot adjust to other work, your claim
We have a team of advocates that specialize in mental health cases and are ready to give you a free evaluation of your case. Please see our list of Low cost/No cost health providers. Get an experienced representative to work on your case as early in the process as you can.
Who is Effected
Anxiety disorders, as a group, are the most common mental illness in America . More than 19 million American adults are affected by these debilitating illnesses each year. Children and adolescents can also develop anxiety disorders also. It is common for an anxiety disorder to accompany depression, eating disorders, substance abuse, or another anxiety disorder. Anxiety disorders can also co-exist with illnesses such as cancer or heart disease.
Treatment
Types of treatments are combinations of medication and psychotherapy. Medications are similar to those given to patients with depression. Therapy like behavior modification and cognitive behavior therapy have yielded positive results. More information can be obtained at the website for the National Institute of Mental Health at www.nimh.nih.gov.
A professional will help you at all levels of the administrative process to:
- A representative will work with you and assist you with your initial SSI & SSDI application, with filing your request with Social Security Administration for reconsideration, requesting a hearing before an administrative law judge or filing an appeal with the Appeals council.
- Analyze your case under Federal Social Security Disability Regulations. Obtain a copy of your file from the Office of hearings & Appeals to ensure that it reflects all your past medical treatment and that all records and documents contained therein are admissible as evidence.
- Ask that any prior SSI & SSDI applications for benefits be reopened.
- Protect your right to a fair hearing.
- Make any necessary Social Security appeals.
- A representative will work with you and assist you with your initial SSI & SSDI application, with filing your request with Social Security Administration for reconsideration, requesting a hearing before an administrative law judge or filing an appeal with the Appeals council.
- We are not retained until the contract is countersigned.
Please contact our SSDI lawyers today to schedule your free initial consultation. Jacoby & Meyers has offices nationwide.