Social Security Disability and Major Depression

The Social Security Administration (SSA) provides disability benefits and Supplemental Security Income (SSI) to individuals who are unable to work because of a disability. SSA recognizes major depression as being a condition that can potentially be serious enough to lead to disability. You may apply for disability and SSI at ssa.gov or at your local SSA office.

Diagnosis

• Major depression includes at least one two-week period where at least five of the following symptoms are present: depressed mood most of the day for most days, diminished interest in activities once enjoyed, significant weight loss or weight gain, insomnia or hypersomnia nearly every day, psychomotor agitation or retardation, fatigue, feelings of worthlessness or hopelessness, poor concentration and/or recurrent thoughts of death. At least one of the symptoms must be depressed mood or loss of interest or pleasure.

Definition of Disability

• SSA considers an individual to be disabled because of major depression if the symptoms prevent him from working and are expected to last at least one year. For disability purposes, it is necessary to show that depressive episodes are recurrent. Having a single major depressive episode is sufficient for making a diagnosis of major depression. However, this fails to show that the condition is likely to last for more than a year.

Medical Records

• SSA relies heavily on past medical records, especially those from the past 12 months, for making a disability determination. This means that it is necessary that an individual who is applying for disability on the basis of major depression seek and comply with recommended treatment for the condition.

Specifiers

• Specifiers are added to the diagnosis to help further explain features of the diagnosis. Mild, moderate, and severe are used to describe the severity of symptoms. If psychotic features, including delusions and/or hallucinations, are present, the specifier "with psychotic features" may be added to the diagnosis. If no symptoms of major depression have been present in more than two months, "in full remission" may be added. Specifiers such as "severe" and "with psychotic features" increase the likelihood of an individual being awarded disability, while specifiers such as "mild" and "in remission" significantly reduce the likelihood of disability benefits being awarded.

Ticket To Work

• SSA provides many disabled individuals who receive disability or SSI with a "Ticket to Work." This ticket is given to an employment network that assists the disabled individual with obtaining and maintaining employment. The employment network may instruct the individual on interviewing techniques, resume building and development of coping skills for managing stressors associated with obtaining employment.

Medical Vocational Allowances

• A medical vocational allowance is given in cases when the impairments preventing an individual from returning to work do not exactly fit the diagnostic criteria listed by SSA. This allowance basically states that an individual cannot return to previously held jobs or be expected to transition to a new form of employment.