Is Severe Depression a Disability?

When the term “disability” is mentioned, most of us quickly associate it with new names for physical conditions. However, how about the silent war, which many people fight in their minds? Fights that impaired their ability to think and left them unable to live meaningful lives.

Fight or “silent war” in the mind is just as disabling and restricting as any physical condition. It impacts the brain and creates a “cloudy fog” that interferes with decision-making, but also impacts basic day-to-day activities, making life miserable and unproductive, just like with a physical disability (e.g., a broken arm). 

Just like a broken arm needs medical care and time to heal (if left untreated, it can cause a permanent misalignment), a mentally disturbed brain suffering from severe depression or other mental health issues needs treatment and time to recover, so that it can get back to its previous productive, energetic life (as well as preventing further severe complications).

Federal laws, such as the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and the Social Security Administration (SSA), recognize that mental health issues, like severe depression, are psychiatric disability. 

What is severe depression disorder?

Severe depression is a serious mood disorder that disables a person’s thoughts, actions, and feelings, negatively impacting an individual’s day-to-day functioning. Typically, living with severe depression is like being inside the mind of someone who is mired in uncontrollable self-condemnation and the grave consequences of self-blame. The activities that once brought much joy appear to individuals with depression to be less appealing. For them, their future looks very dark as negative thoughts cling to their mind.

However, in most cases, severe depression is treatable and shouldn’t be a cause of disability. Though depression medications can take months to work. Some people may experience side effects and have to change medication. Therefore, it may be prudent to apply for short-term disability benefits during the titration process. And, long-term disability support may help individuals with persisting, treatment-resistant severe depression (that lasts more than 1 year). 

Many times, individuals with severe depression often hesitate to apply because they don’t understand that their condition can count as a qualifying disability criterion. They often fear the stigma associated with mental illness, the possibility that their condition might affect their employment status, and the chance that they might appear less competent than they actually are if their mental health condition is discovered. These worries prevent them from seeking care that could improve their lives, as well as receiving disability benefits. 

Does this condition describe you? Always remember that you are not the only one fighting a mental battle. Keep in mind that requesting disability benefits does not define you nor define your value or potential in any other areas of your life. Let’s gain more specifics regarding severe depression and disability benefits in this blog. 

Short-Term Disability Benefits for Severe Depression:

Short-term disability benefits grant individuals with severe health illnesses leave from their job, enabling them to concentrate on getting better and not on the monetary worries that naturally accompany not working. An individual can apply for short-term disability under the following circumstances:

Receiving Treatment During Work Hours: If an individual with severe depression must attend therapy sessions, physician’s appointments, or other forms of treatment during scheduled work hours, and their depression has not improved enough for them to function at work.

Impaired Job Performance: This severe depression condition often saps motivation, energy, and a sense of self. Sometimes, fluctuations in mood might lead a person to consider applying and then reconsider, and it is essential to know that applying for disability is a step toward regaining that sense of self and moving into the empowerment of not being disabled anymore.

Cognitive Challenges: Struggles with attention, concentration, or problem-solving can show how much someone’s mental health is affecting their work life. Cognitive performance problems can sap a person with severe depression’s efficiency and might lead to more severe cognitive or mental health problems if not addressed. 

Besides, to work while suffering from severe depression is risky, especially in professions (e.g., doctor, nurses, pilot, software engineer, teacher, etc) that require sustained concentration and close attention to the kinds of details that are crucial to the work and the well-being of others. 

Long-Term Disability Benefits for Severe Depression

Long-term disability, on the other hand, typically applies to cases of severe depression or other chronic illnesses that are extremely severe and persistent and fail to improve.  Dome of the following situations:

• You have genuinely tried to get better, and your symptoms are still severe.
• You’re in a profession  (e.g., pilot or heavy machinery operator) where you can’t keep up decent work even
• You have other conditions, like chronic pain, that make depression so much worse and take prolong time to treat.

Remember that severe depression can have roots in things that are beyond our control, but this isn’t to say that treatment and the steps that lead to it aren’t our own, brave moves directed toward recovery. It’s really, really, really key to understand and to let others understand that placing a premium on one’s own mental health by applying for a short-term disability claim is not a sign of weakness but a sign of a renewed, healthier future. 

To apply for disability benefits, a forensic psychiatric evaluation (also called a mental health evaluation for court) from a board-certified forensic psychiatrist can help provide the evidence needed to document the severity of your condition and its impact on your daily life.

At GABA Telepsychiatry, our board-certified forensic psychiatrists assist with treatment as well as disability insurance by:

• Providing a mental health evaluation that determines the severity of the mental condition
• Accurately documenting the symptoms that the applicant claims prevent them from functioning normally
• Detailing the treatment history and ongoing nature of the mental illness.

Again, keep in mind that your career, relationships, and social life are all directly linked to a healthy mood (i.e., good mental health). So, if you’re feeling very depressed, don’t suffer silently. Definitely seek professional help.