Yes - another disability question! See details...

I am not the Social Security worker who will review your application, nor am I the one who will make the determination. For what it’s worth, neither is your psychiatrist.

I don’t know what criteria they are going by.

When I had to fill out all those myriad forms, I remembered to breathe, and I just kept writing. I wrote, until I thought every tiny detail of my rotten life both internal and external was on paper. I wanted them to understand how the disease robbed me of my ability to live fully and independently. It was important to me to write about why I quit 2 highly lucrative jobs and a series of smaller ones that left me more and more isolated.

It was my mission to demonstrate to them that bipolar disorder had wrecked me.

I wish you the absolute best luck in this difficult task.

@Hawaii_Jake – You’ve been so insightful, and I too have to manage many an explanation for all the jobs I’ve left throughout the years, the tasks I couldn’t manage, and the like. This is miserable. Beyond that, my moods have been so wacky these days, that is saddening just to answer the questions.
However, I’ll soldier on. I think the only reason my doctor has been reticent is that he doesn’t want to see me get declined because of seemingly arbitrary regulations. Furthermore, so far as I can find, there’s scant information out there. I’m going to give him a call and see what we can do.

@serenityNOW Yes, use the fact you’ve left many jobs to your advantage. Write down the tasks you were unable to perform and explain why the disease made it that way.

It’s okay to even include a section about how difficult the application process has been for you and how it has triggered such difficult moods in you.

Soldier on. :-)

You can apply the day you become disabled, but it takes up to 6 months to process and be approved.

What does your psychiatrist have to do with any of this? If you can lift an object off the ground, you can work. It may not be what you want, but if you can pick up a box, you can work. So what are you saying?

The ball is possibly rolling when you visit with someone at your nearest SS office and apply for disability. This will separate the wheat from the chafe, so to speak. If they feel you need to proceed to the next step they will send you for evaluations and you will be denied benefits because that is what they do, so then it will be a good plan to get with a lawyer who specializes in SS disability. You probably will be trying for years to get benefits. My wife was so messed up she was approved after the first visit but that is extremely rare. There were tons of surgery write ups from two different ortho’s as well as an attempt to continue working and a subsequent quit of the job after several months of trying. That job was a keeper too. With dual masters degrees, a torn up knee that led to neurological problems is no match. What a waste.

Yikes. These sound like horror stories. What are you supposed to do in the meantime of not working.

Remember though, you always have the resource of the law. It often takes adding a lawyer to the mix. I know it sucks, but it often does. I was told by mine that they can’t charge more than $5,000.00 and that is not charged directly to you, but rather taken out of the amount you are first awarded. When you are awarded SSD you are also given back pay, or the sum of money accrued from the date you first apply.
I also cannot stress enough the importance of having doctors who will also testify to your condition. If you are eloquent enough to write about your difficulties it will often hurt your chances, because they will doubt your need unless you have obvious physical needs.
I hope this helps- I know that it seems daunting, but there is often light at the end of the tunnel. Also there are many of us on Fluther who have “been there, done that,” and I know that all of us are cheering you on and are willing to help in any way possible.

@GracieT : Thanks so much for your thoughtful remarks. Brought a little tear to my eye, but in a good way. I’m just so wound up or maybe it’s unwound and everything seems overwhelming – seems daunting. Right now I have a lawyer representing me for Chapter 7, I’ve got a goddamn ticket from driving past inspection, taxes…

Oh mercy, I’ve gone of track. Been doing that a lot recently

Oh, and regarding the answers, I thought the same thing with “eloquent” writing. I think the saner I appear, the more likely I’ll be denied. Should I write it with my left-hand and crayons?

I don’t think so, but what say you, fellow jellies? I know that I’m not an expert by any means, and I don’t want to give you a response just to find out that it’s exactly the wrong thing to do. I must, however, commend you on the left-hand crayons idea. It should create a very interesting picture!

most people don’t like most things about their jobs but that is not an excuse for laziness. I have known many who worked through their problems without becoming some kind of victim who thinks the world owes them something for nothing. What you need to do is focus on finding a field that you can excel in and go to work. If you can surf the net, you can work all kinds of jobs. quit whining and get a job!

@jtxl So what you are saying there is everyone should do what you have done to become as successful as you are? That is brilliant!

@woodcutter – What amazes me more than these preposterous answers (that really have no correlation to the thread), or that someone out there is giving them a Great Answer for it.
@jtxl – I like to work. I have a strong work ethic. People in my family work hard. I work hard. However, I have a medical condition. I take medicine for it. The medical condition in and of itself makes work impossible. I have delusions. I don’t eat. I don’t listen to other people, only myself. I get suicidal. I don’t sleep. Then, the medicine comes into the picture: it helps, but I have comprehension problems. I get sedated. I forget things. I’m restless. Etcetera. Thanks, though, for your input. I’ll definitely mull it over as I do my papers for disability.. oh, is that what we’re talking about?

By the way, I do have a job. It’s just not paying enough to support me.

Oh, and I’m not flagging your response, either. I like to hear from those whose opinion’s differ, and keep me in check when I’m whining.

Thanks, I appreciate that you are trying. I have a different take on the disability system because I was forced on to disability because of two degenerative bone and nerve diseases and am well on the way to loosing my eyes. I loved working and disability is a type of prison keeping me from living the life I dreamed of. There is no pride in collecting a check that keeps you in the poor house. I would give everything to only have a year of a normal life. I am sensitive on the subject of questions about filing for disability because I am constantly being asked by people wanting to run a scam how to get approved. They ask me about my symptoms so they can pretend they are having the same. I always lie and make up impossible symptoms. For you @serenityNOW, I can only beg you to search for something you are passionate about to make a living. The isolation of disability in itself is depressing and no way to live if possible. I have known a man since childhood who is mainstreamed retarded and because of this he has to work very hard to comprehend simple things. But he tries… My sister went through chef school in 2yrs. and he took almost 7. But eventually he made it. He has his certificate and he knows he won’t ever be able to be a real working chef but he is able to take pride in the fact that he completed. His knowledge of a working restaurant made him able to work as a resturant manager so he can delegate tasks instead of getting overwhelmed in a busy kitchen. I want you to search yourself for what you can be excited about. There are programs in every state to help people with medical conditions get trained for jobs that will pay enough to live comfortably. In Texas we have Texas Rehabilitation who you can google & email to get information for the equivalent program in your state. Finding a job field that you can be passionate about, will change your life. I do wish you the best.

@jtxl – Thanks for the “relatively” constructive reply. (It would behove you to answer like that in the first place.)

I do have passion for the work I do, but it’s unlikely that I will be able to continue it, as I’m not making a profit but working my butt off.

Though your story about your ‘Developmentally Disabled’ friend is compelling – as the the old adage goes – to each their own.

Also, I have a tentative new job on Saturday, and a job interview on Thursday. I’m not loafing around – though I’m a little discouraged since the last few jobs I’ve had are evidence that I have a hard-road in front of me. As for: “search yourself for what you can be excited about…” Like I mentioned before, I am excited about what I do; I’m just at an impasse right now.

Finally, this question is in the “General” section. You’ve strayed significantly from the question. I was looking for an answer – not a divisive thread.

Just because a person is approved for SSDI is by no means a permanent fate. If a disabled person does find some kind of niche that is gainful then they can opt out or have their benefits adjusted to compensate. It becomes a safety net so a person so inclined to try working again has some form of sustenance in the meantime. Many people who are badly disabled can still work to some degree although not enough to support themselves. Those are the lucky ones?

@woodcutter – My thoughts exactly when you say “safety net.” I’m going chapter 7 – the date is next week when it is finally approved through a judge. With literally no money, and no job* (minus Saturday) I have zero prospects, in the short-term. It’s not as if I’m going to cease looking for jobs/get complacent/get lazy. I’m not some punk looking for a hand-out. I have a legitimate illness.

*My job on Saturday is selling t-shirts at a concert. No exactly lucrative, but if I enjoy it, I might be able to continue. Problem is they’re mostly a city thing, and as I live in a suburb, ways away from the city, it might not pan out. Then there’s two interviews this week. So, it’s not for lack of trying.

@jtxl, consider that @serenityNOW has actually been forced out of the workforce by disability in much the same manner you have. Psychological illness is no less real or valid than mental illness. The brain is just an organ.

Oh jeez, I mistyped. Psychological illness is no less valid than physical illness. What I wrote originally makes no damn sense…

Thanks @Mariah
Thanks @Mariah

I have been unemployed for two years now, due to my mental illnesses. I have yet to get any help, though. I see my psychiatrist for the first time this month. I’ve heard that it takes a year or so, but maybe 6 months is enough. It probably depends on the state that you live in.

Denied.

I am sorry to hear that. Did they tell you why, are you going to appeal it?

You need to see an attorney unfortunately. It’s all but impossible without one really.

@rosehips – They don’t really tell you why. It’s all part of the process. They’re very selective. They were kind enough to send me a brochure – “Your Right To Question The Decision SS Makes on Your Case.” Thanks. It’s all very discouraging.

@woodcutter – Yeah, I know.

My Doctor thinks that the # one reason for being denied is if you’re gainfully employed. He said the info pops right up from Social Security, and if you’re well enough to work… what they obviously don’t factor in is how long you last at the job, how traumatic it can be to the psyche and how long you actually keep it. His suggestion is to try and find something (anything) that will give me some income that isn’t too harrowing. I have some options, but no immediate prospects. Thank God for my family, but when they’re gone – I just need something, ya know…