Some people live with crippling bouts of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). This extreme stress reaction to reminders of past traumatic events can sometimes meet the qualifications of a disability. The PTSD sufferer may then be able to receive disability benefits.
In determining whether or not the PTSD condition qualifies applicants for disability benefits, the severity of the condition matters a great deal. The effects of PTSD are on a spectrum ranging from mild symptoms that slightly disrupt someone’s life to severely debilitating symptoms that make living a normal life impossible.
If you suffer from the more extreme version of symptoms, you may qualify for disability benefits.
According to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth edition (DSM-5), the American Psychiatric Association (APA) states that PTSD can have extreme consequences for its victims’ ability to function in society.
Below are some examples:
- Occupational disabilities
- Physical disabilities
- Social disabilities
- Reduction in occupational and educational success
- Absenteeism from school or work
Those suffering from PTSD typically have optimistic prognoses. Roughly half of adult sufferers recover completely within 90 days. Still, some will have to live with their conditions for long periods — one to 50 years. That can be daunting.
Are you struggling to cope with the lingering effects of PTSD after living through one or more traumatic events? You don’t have to soldier on alone, as there is help available to you. Reach out to medical professionals and a Belleville Social Security Disability attorney to learn what you need to do to access the government benefits that may be available to you.
Source: Healthy Place, “Is PTSD a disability? How to get PTSD disability benefits,” Tanya J. Peterson, accessed May 25, 2018