By We Level Up FL Treatment Center | Editor Yamilla Francese | Clinically Reviewed By Lauren Barry, LMFT, MCAP, QS, Director of Quality Assurance | Editorial Policy | Research Policy | Last Updated: February 6, 2023

A substitute for the second listed item. Some applicants with disabilities are unable to demonstrate that they currently experience significant or severe functional restrictions because their anxiety has diminished as a result of living in a highly organized or safe environment or receiving intensive therapy. There is an alternative to the second portion of the listing in this instance.

If your disorder has been diagnosed as “serious and persistent” for at least two years and you can demonstrate that you have been receiving ongoing medical care, mental health therapy, or “psychosocial support” that lessens your anxiety symptoms, you may be able to meet a different set of functional criteria. Additionally, you must demonstrate that you have the “minimum capacity to adjust” to demands that are outside of your normal routine or to environmental changes.

This alternate set of functional criteria acknowledges that some individuals may not be exhibiting symptoms (such as poor interpersonal relationships or inability to care for oneself) because they reside in highly regulated and protected environments. When compared to real-life conditions, where stress and demands on one’s emotional state would be higher, special living arrangements can make one’s functional abilities appear better.

Alternatively said, a person’s condition is “marginal” if it is anticipated that they would not be able to execute the work if they were required to work full-time in a workplace setting. Sometimes people are able to control their symptoms until they are forced to work, at which point they begin to experience significant job anxiety and become unable to do their duties. An applicant may occasionally be able to meet this set of alternative requirements by making an attempt to return to work but failing because of anxiety symptoms.

Anxiety Statistics

It’s critical to understand the distinction between anxiety and depression. Anxiety, in its most basic form, is an excessive feeling of worry, whereas depression, in its most basic form, is an excessive feeling of worthlessness and hopelessness. It is conceivable for someone to experience depression and anxiety simultaneously.

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Types of Anxiety Disorders – Disability For Depression And Anxiety

There are several types of anxiety disorders:

• Generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) is characterized by at least six months of a more-or-less constant state of tension or worry, not related to any specific event.
• Panic disorder causes repeated, unprovoked attacks of anxiety or terror lasting up to ten minutes.
• Social anxiety disorder (social phobia) involves the fear of being negatively evaluated by others. Phobias are irrational, involuntary, and overwhelming fears that lead a person to avoid common objects, events, or situations, including social situations. In agoraphobia, there is fear of leaving the safety of one’s home.
• Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is characterized by recurrent, persistent, and intrusive thoughts or impulses that the person may feel can be controlled by performing repetitive behaviors. Although most experts no longer consider OCD as an anxiety disorder, the Social Security Administration (SSA) still evaluates it under their listing for anxiety disorders.
• Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). The SSA no longer evaluates PTSD under its listing for anxiety disorders; it now has its own disability listing for trauma- and stressor-related disorders.

Can I Get Disability For Anxiety And Depression? Anxiety As A Disability (Anxiety And Disability)

You can be eligible for disability benefits through a medical-vocational allowance (by demonstrating that you are unable to function sufficiently to perform any type of employment) if the SSA determines that your symptoms do not fit under one of the serious disorders listed above. The SSA should grant disability payments to applicants whose generalized anxiety is so acute that it prevents them from doing any of their former jobs or any other kind of labor. When making these kinds of medical-vocational decisions, Social Security disability examiners take an individual’s age, education, job history, and functional capacity into account.

Can I Get Disability For Depression And Anxiety? How To Get Disability For Depression And Anxiety?

1. Get Specialized Mental Health Care for Your Mental Illness – Disability For Anxiety And Depression

If the claimant is receiving regular medical care from a mental health treatment source that specializes in their condition, Administrative Law Judges who adjudicate social security disability claims at the hearing appeal level are more likely to find a medical or mental illness to be disabling. Both mental health specialists like psychologists and psychiatrists as well as family doctors or internists can diagnose mental illness. In the last 20 years, SSRI drugs like Prozac and Zoloft have become widely accessible and are frequently used by general practitioners to treat patients with mental illness.

2. Comply With Prescribed Medical Treatment – Anxiety And Depression Disability

According to social security rules, a claim might be rejected if the applicant doesn’t adhere to the recommended medical care. This is crucial for mental disease disability claims because therapies like Deep Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (DTMS), talk therapy, counseling, and even medication are beneficial in at least reducing the intensity of mental illness symptoms.

The major form of treatment for mental problems continues to be pharmaceuticals like SSRIs. Drugs can be pricey and can have unfavorable side effects. Depressed people may need to try several different medications before discovering those that work because many of the newer treatments take some time to show any advantages.

These claims frequently give up when drugs are not initially effective or have side effects because depressed people are by their own nature easily discouraged. An administrative law court will take your decision to stop taking drug therapy negatively since there are now so many different psychotropic medications available for the treatment of depression, and more are being developed all the time.

3. Anxiety A Disability: Get Doctor’s Support

Any claim for social security disability payments must have medical support. I strongly recommend reading my in-depth post on how to get your doctor’s assistance.

Due to the importance of the scope and severity of symptoms in a mental illness disability claim, doctor support may be even more crucial than in other disability cases.

4. Is Anxiety Considered A Disability? No Substance Abuse

Abuse of drugs is detrimental to a disability case. It is particularly detrimental to a disability claim based on a mental disorder. Unfortunately, it happens frequently for people who have mental illnesses to start abusing drugs or alcohol in an attempt to “self-medicate”. However, the fact that you might use drugs to “self-medicate” won’t lessen the harm that drug addiction will bring to your claim for disability based on a mental condition.

Our mental health is impaired by drugs and alcohol. Alcohol has been demonstrated to make the symptoms of mental illness worse. Many ALJs assume that drugs and alcohol lessen the effectiveness of prescriptions, despite the lack of compelling evidence to support this. They contend that if the depressed claimant who abuses medication went back to work, they wouldn’t need the drink and drugs.

It goes without saying that the depressed individual applying for disability payments needs to cease abusing drugs. That may appear to be a very challenging assignment to many. You should be aware though that perfection is not necessary. However, you must sincerely endeavor to maintain sobriety.

5. Can You Get On Disability For Anxiety? Demonstrable Evidence of Profound Mental Illness Symptoms

Can You Get Disability For Depression And Anxiety? Since almost everyone has experienced depression or other psychological upheaval and pain at some point in their lives, the disability argument for a mental disease is distinctive in this regard. Many of us carry mild depression that detracts from our joy in life but does not prevent us from functioning. This is untrue, for instance, in the case of a mental handicap based on schizophrenia, where very few of us have ever had a psychotic break.

In order to obtain disability benefits for depression, it is crucial to understand the scope and intensity of the mental disorder symptoms.

Is Anxiety And Depression A Disability? Is Severe Anxiety A Disability?

How To Get Disability For Anxiety?

How To Get On Disability For Depression And Anxiety? You’ll need to answer a questionnaire on your “activities of daily living,” or ADLs, as part of your application. The Adult Function Report form requests that you describe how your anxiety impacts your day-to-day activities. The questionnaire includes questions regarding managing your finances, doing household chores, shopping, participating in social events, and—most importantly—how your symptoms affect your ability to work. You can search a disability function report example answers for anxiety online to get an idea of it.

Provide thorough responses. What would it be like, for instance, if you were experiencing severe anxiety at work? Would you commit errors? Would you need to re-request the instructions your boss provided you if you were to forget them? Would you be unable of completing any tasks? Would you frequently stop to use the restroom? In the event that you frequently missed work due to anxiousness, be specific about how many days you missed each month. Also, make an effort to describe what makes you anxious at home and at work.

What Is The VA Disability Rating For Depression And Anxiety? Does Anxiety Count As A Disability?

Anxiety VA Disability Rating: In general, there are three fundamental components to a service connection. Veterans must, first and foremost, have a current diagnosis for the illness (i.e., depression, anxiety). Veterans must next provide proof of an incident, accident, or illness that occurred while they were serving.

Veterans must also present a medical nexus connecting their current, diagnosed ailment to the incident that occurred while they were serving. Even though depression and anxiety are frequently identified among veterans, they must still show that their service-related experiences are to blame for these illnesses.

Veterans should note that they do not require a “stressor” (i.e., a traumatic event). Instead, establishing a service link for post-traumatic stress disorder just requires proof of an in-service stressor (PTSD). Veterans who claim to have depression or anxiety may cite psychiatric problems that started during or right after service and are still present now.

0% VA Disability For Anxiety: Anxiety Disability Rating

Anxiety Disability VA: Only extremely minor psychopathology presentations receive a 0% rating. If VA gives a veteran a depression or anxiety score of 0, it means that although the veteran has a qualifying diagnosis, the symptoms do not limit their ability to function or necessitate the use of medicine. Notably, a veteran will not get monthly compensation for a condition for which they have a 0% disability rating.

10% VA Disability Anxiety

How Much VA Disability For Anxiety: A 10% disability grade also corresponds to a milder form of anxiety or depression. Veterans may suffer brief spikes in stress that have a modest negative impact on their ability to function in social and professional settings. The disorder can be treated with medicine, but it does not significantly hinder functioning.

30% Anxiety VA Disability

VA Disability Rating For Anxiety Disorder: For depression and anxiety, the 30 percent rating threshold is also intended to signify mild symptomatology. In this instance, “occasional decline in job efficiency and intermittent periods of inability to complete occupational activities” may indicate that the veteran is beginning to regularly miss work owing to a lack of desire brought on by a mental health problem.

Their anxiety and/or depression do not entirely exclude individuals from functioning and succeeding in a work environment, though. They may also occasionally isolate themselves as a result of their worry and low mood. They can still keep up their interactions with other people, though. When a veteran exhibits modest, sporadic signs of depression and anxiety, a 30 percent VA disability rating is generally given to these conditions.

50% VA Disability Anxiety Rating

VA Anxiety Disability Rating: The 50 percent rating criterion calls for an increase in the symptomatology’s frequency, duration, and severity. Furthermore, this criterion includes a number of other symptoms that were not included in lesser grades. Veterans who earn a 50% rating for depression and/or anxiety are probably starting to show more obvious cognitive deficiencies, such as trouble paying attention to directions or making choices that differ from past behavior.

Additionally, some of the physiological symptoms of mood-related symptomatology, including a flattened affect, may start to emerge. In other words, veterans who are depressed may speak monotonously and show no facial expressions. The level of social and vocational impairment generally rises with a 50 percent rating. Here, the aforementioned symptoms result in a decline in the ability of veterans to effectively accomplish job-related duties.

70% VA Disability Rating For Anxiety

Does Anxiety Qualify For Disability? For depression and anxiety, the 70% disability rating criterion is the most inclusive because it encompasses a wide range of symptoms, including the development of symptoms reported in lower disability ratings. All of the symptoms listed in the 50 percent rating, but with greater frequency, length, and intensity, may be experienced by a veteran who earns a 70 percent rating for depression and/or anxiety.

Here, the veteran is virtually always experiencing terror or sadness, which impairs their capacity for social interaction. The veteran may also struggle with emotional regulation, which can result in violent outbursts or clashes with others. The veteran’s incapacity to maintain employment or finish coursework for school may serve as a sign of the severity of their social and occupational impairment.

100% VA Disability Rating For Major Depression And Anxiety

Can Anxiety Be A Disability? Because it requires a veteran’s symptoms to be so severe that they are completely handicapped and unable to function in daily life, the 100 percent rating is frequently challenging to get through VA. Despite the substantial level of impairment associated with the symptoms indicated in the 70 percent rating criterion, the increase to 100 percent is still significant. When compared to the evaluation standards for smaller percentages, cognitive and emotional performance frequently suffers significantly.

Importantly, this deterioration has a completely negative impact on both a veteran’s personal and professional lives. A veteran may experience occasional incapacity to do activities of daily life, such as feeling too down to get out of bed, take a shower, or put on clothes.

Suicide attempts and self-harming activities are associated with a rating of 100 percent. A 100% rating for depression and/or anxiety also includes homicidal ideation, in which a veteran may have ideas of harming others, in addition to thoughts and impulses toward self-harm. These signs and actions all point to the greatest degree of impairment that the 100 percent rating criterion can detect.

We Level Up Dual Diagnosis Treatment

The definition of dual diagnosis (also referred to as co-occurring disorders) can differ between institutions. However, it is generally described as the specific treatment of someone who has been diagnosed with a substance use disorder and a mental health disorder at the same time. Treating dual-diagnosis clients is a critical aspect of our inpatient treatment experience because co-occurring disorders are strongly correlated with instances of substance abuse.

Creating a treatment plan that addresses the physical aspects of withdrawal, the psychological connection with drug use, and managing underlying mental health disorders is part of setting clients up for success.  A thorough mental health analysis identifies possibilities for treatment.  Meeting with mental health counselors and medical care providers means access to behavioral therapy and medication treatment. At our dual diagnosis treatment center, We Level Up can implement the highest quality of care. 

We recognize the fragile complexities of how mental and substance abuse disorders can influence others and sometimes result in a vicious cycle of addiction.  That’s why we offer specialized treatment in dual-diagnosis cases to provide the most excellent chance of true healing and long-lasting recovery.

It can be challenging to accept that you may be living with a mental illness, but once it is properly diagnosed and treated, treating the presenting case of substance abuse can be magnitudes easier. Only a properly trained medical professional can diagnose these underlying conditions.  If you believe you are suffering from a disorder alongside addiction, we urge you to seek a qualified treatment center to begin your journey to recovery. Call We Level Up today.

Is Anxiety A Disability? Anxiety Disability FAQs