Mental illness can be just as debilitating as a physical ailment.
In California, you can apply for disability coverage if you are not able to work as a result of mental or psychological impairment.
California Social Security Act
California’s Social Security Act allows people to claim Social Security Disability Insurance and Supplemental Security Income if they have a diagnosed and treated mental impairment. However, they must meet certain qualifications.
Types of psychological disorders covered
Impairments that could qualify a person for Social Security Disability include:
- Eating disorders, including anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, and binge eating disorder
- Post-traumatic stress disorder
- Panic attacks
- Anxiety or depression
- Obsessive-compulsive disorder
- Bipolar disorder
- Schizophrenia
You could even potentially claim disability for certain phobias, such as agoraphobia, which causes a fear of leaving the home. Although, anxiety and depression, both of which have a wide scale of severity, are the most common forms of mental illness.
Qualifications for Disability
Having a mental disability diagnosis from a doctor is not always enough to warrant Social Security Disability coverage. To qualify, you would need to prove significant enough impairment to make holding down a job too difficult. However, the Social Security Act mandates that the SSA must consider all your impairments, mental and physical, when you apply for benefits. For example, if you have a chronic physical illness that causes depression, the administration will consider how both affect your ability to work.
The process of applying for Social Security Disability can be long and tedious. Remember to document your condition with a medical professional.
