When you think of the disabilities that allow people to qualify for SSDI benefits, do you generally assume they are physical ailments? You may think of someone with a spinal cord injury who is confined to a wheelchair, for instance, or someone with a degenerative disease that constantly makes mobility more difficult — or impossible.
But what about mental conditions? Can you ever qualify as being disabled based on this type of ailment?
Mental conditions absolutely qualify as disabilities
The good news is that, while many disabilities are physical in nature, mental conditions are certainly not excluded from benefits. A few of the categories of conditions that the Social Security Administration (SSA) recognizes include the following:
- Personality and impulse-control disorders
- Neurocognitive disorders
- Depressive, bipolar and related disorders
- Schizophrenia spectrum and other psychotic disorders
- Neurodevelopmental disorders
- Trauma- and stressor-related disorders
- Autism spectrum disorder
- Anxiety and obsessive-compulsive disorders
- Eating disorders
- Somatic symptom and related disorders
- Intellectual disorder
Please note that these are overall categories, not specific disorders, so there are many different conditions that may qualify. It depends on the severity of the condition and how it impacts someone’s life and ability to work. This can be different from case to case. There is also the chance that someone could have multiple conditions that fit into separate categories, so things can get fairly complex.
Understanding the steps you need to take
If you do want to look into your options to seek proper benefits, especially when things are very complicated, make sure you understand all of the legal steps that you will need to take. The process can be long, but there are options for you.