Is Anxiety a Disability?

Anxiety can be considered a disability if it is severe enough that it hinders your ability to work and reduces your quality of life. Suffering from this illness can be crippling.

Definition of Disability

• According to Merriam-Webster, disability is defined as physical or mental ailment that reduces ones ability to do "normal" functions. Disability is also defined as the lack of the ability to move (person or object) from one place to another.

Definition of Anxiety

• According to WebMD, anxiety is an entire group of mental disorders. Anxiety is also a constant state of worry, feeling uneasy, overwhelming concern, extreme agitation and a sense of fear.

Types of Anxiety

• Anxiety is a generalized term for many disorders. The types of anxiety are panic disorder, post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), generalized anxiety disorder (GAD), social anxiety disorder (SAD), obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) and specific phobias.

Symptoms of Anxiety

• Each type of anxiety has its own set of symptoms; however, they do have common characteristics such as chest pain, sweating, heart palpitations, constant worry and tension.

Treatment of Anxiety

• Anxiety is treated through different means that will vary on the individual. Some treatments include medications, psychotherapy (speaking with a psychiatrist), cognitive behavior therapy, lifestyle changes, dietary changes and relaxation therapy. If these treatments do not work, or some symptoms still remain the sufferer could be declared "disabled" because the symptoms can hinders ones ability to day to day functions.

Disability Filing Rules

• The Social Security Administration states that any person suffering from any illness that "affects and limits" a person's day to day life is considered a disability. More severe cases of anxiety attacks have trouble with their day to day functions even with proper medication and help. Generally, these are sufferers having more then one attack a day as well as those with certain phobias.