Even when making a Social Security disability claim based on an actual physical injury there is usually quite a lot of stress and pressure brought to bear in terms of being able to provide medical documentation and evidence to support your case. With mental health disabilities you still need to be able to prove that you are in fact disabled and entitled to financial support, although you won\’t have any physical symptoms to actually support your claim in the first place.
What you might not realize is that mental health problems and disabilities are viewed as being just as serious as physical problems during any Social Security disability hearing, with the understanding that although physical symptoms may not be present that depression is still a very serious, very common and usually completely debilitating disease for example. Or if you take the example of agoraphobia (a fear of being in certain environments) which could lead the sufferer struggling to even attend their hearing in the first place.
Another major challenge faced by claimants with mental disabilities is that they might have suffered from a cascade effect in relation to their condition e.g. somebody who has suffered a brain injury may find themselves falling into a state of serious depression as a result because they\’re aware of the severity of their condition and/or the daily challenges they face when dealing with it.
This is why it\’s so important that you explain even the tiniest details of your mental disability to all of the doctors involved – it\’s absolutely critical that you leave nothing out at this stage in the process because that will dictate the success of your actual claim. So let your doctor know just how severe the symptoms are and how often they affect you, including any secondary issues such as a person who has chronic insomnia suffering from depression or even suicidal thoughts because they can\’t sleep.
Once you\’ve actually completed your claim it\’s then important to be proactive in pursuing your case afterwards. One suggested step is to call the Social Security Administration and find out the name of the person evaluating your case and contact them to see how your case is progressing. This shows that you are genuinely interested in your own case, plus it gives you the opportunity to find out if there\’s any documentation missing from your claim, and it also gives the evaluator a chance to ask you any questions they might need to. Obviously you don\’t want to be too pushy when staying in contact with your evaluator, but it will benefit you to at least touch base with them in the early days of your claim.
Due to the complex nature of mental health issues and impairments it\’s usually a good move to engage the services of an attorney who has experience in presenting such cases during a hearing. They can advise and guide you on what steps you need to take, who to contact and what evidence or documentation you will need to make the most compelling case possible.
While it\’s true that you can do this on your own, you will find that an attorney with specific Social Security disability benefit claim experience can move the entire process along far more quickly than you could hope to on your own.