People in Pennsylvania can suffer from a variety of different mood disorders. These mood disorders can make it difficult, if not impossible, for people to hold a job. When a person is unable to work because of the disorder, the person may qualify for Social Security Disability Insurance benefits for mental conditions.
However, in order to qualify for SSDI benefits, individuals must meet the standards outlined by the Social Security Administration for affective disorders. According to the SSA, affective disorders are conditions that affect a person’s mood and that result in either a depressive syndrome or manic symptoms.
In order to qualify for SSDI benefits for an affective disorder, people must meet certain requirements. These requirements ensure that the disorder is severe enough to interfere with the person’s ability to work.
For example, individuals who seek SSDI benefits for affective disorders for a depressive syndrome must be able to prove that they have had at least four medically documented depressive syndrome characteristics including sleep disturbances, decreased energy, thoughts of suicide, hallucinations, feelings of guilt or appetite disturbances, among others.
For manic syndromes, people must have at least three documented issues including hyperactivity, inflated self-esteem, distractibility or decreased need for sleep.
And these individuals must show that the symptoms have resulted in difficulty functioning in a social environment, a restriction on daily living activities, difficulty keeping concentration or episodes of decompensation.
It can be very difficult for individuals living with affective disorders to prove these symptoms. In many cases, individuals will need to legal help getting SSDI benefits for mental conditions. Individuals in these situations should seek specific legal advice from an attorney.