Bipolar Disorder and Social Security

 

Bipolar disorder is a mental disorder that involves changes in a person's mood. Bipolar individuals have alternating depressive and manic periods ; Bipolar disorder used to be called Manic Depression.

 

The cyclic periods of extreme euphoria and activity (mania), most often followed by periods of extreme depression; these moods are up and down for most people, and differ from normal mood swings or traditional depression, the patient must experience four or five symptoms of mania for at least a week.

 

There are classifications of bipolar disorder, including Bipolar I, Bipolar II, Bipolar NOS, and Cyclothymia.

 

Rapid cycling, is diagnosed when the moods of mania and depression cycle back and forth more than 4 times a year. Many people also suffer from mixed mood episodes, or mixed states, which includes depression and mania, shown as anger, belligerence, delusional behavior, insomnia, fatigue, suicidal thoughts, and many other behavioral symptoms.

 

Symptoms of mania can include quickened speech, short attention span, sleeplessness, racing thoughts, impaired judgment, and unusual behavior. When people are experiencing mania, they may engage in increased and unsafe sexual activity, and display aggressiveness and grandiose, delusional ideas about themselves .

 

Symptoms of depression can include deep sadness, fatigue, isolation, guilt, hopelessness, and anxiety. Depression may also cause a loss of sleep, sexual drive, interest in normal activities, and appetite; accompanied by social anxiety, and lack of motivation. Those experiencing depression may become suicidal and psychotic.

 

Symptoms of bipolar disorder typically first occur in childhood or early adulthood and is diagnosed after other illnesses are ruled out. Counseling, therapy, and medications such as antipsychotic medications or mood stabilizers are used to treat the disorder.

 

Bipolar disorder is a disability in the Social Security administration's impairment manual. People with bipolar can automatically win disability benefits by satisfying the criteria in the bipolar depression listing. They can prove they can't perform their past work or even any other unskilled work.

Social Security's disability requires that you have had severe episodes of both depression and mania.

 

To qualify as mania, you have to had experienced during a manic episode: high energy and activity; rapidly changing thoughts; fast, frenzied talking; decreased sleep; high self-esteem ; easy distractibility; risk-taking behavior, or paranoia, delusions, or hallucinations.

 

 

As depression you need to have had decreased energy or activity; loss of interest or pleasure in activities; difficulty concentrating or thinking; poor appetite or weight gain; too much sleep or too little sleep; guilty or worthless feelings; suicidal thoughts, or paranoia, delusions, or hallucinations.

 

You need to have had recurrent, episodes of worsening bipolar symptoms or serious problems with social functioning, focusing or in daily living.

 

If you don't currently have the above symptoms, you could qualify for benefits if your disorder is being managed with medication, support, and/or assisted living, but still limits your ability to work because of the likelihood that a change in environment or job stress could cause you to relapse.

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If your condition isn't severe enough to meet the requirements for bipolar disorder, Social Security considers whether you can do unskilled work with your symptoms. If your symptoms effect your ability to follow instructions, remember details, or focus, the Social Security administration will grant you disability under a Medical-Vocational benefit.

 

It can be difficult to get a Medical-Vocational for bipolar disorder.

 

To determine bipolar disorder disability, the Social Security administration uses medical-vocational rules, which vary according to age. They review the age, education, work experience and physical/mental condition of the person to determine what other work the person can perform,

If a person is: under age 50 and, as a result of the symptoms of Bipolar disorder, unable to, due to the Bipolar disorder disability, limited to performing sedentary work, but has no work-related skills that allow him to do so or, age 55 or older and, due to the disability, limited to performing light work, but has no work-related skills; over age 60 and, due to the Bipolar disorder disability, unable to perform any of the jobs he performed in the last 15 years; any age and, because of Bipolar disorder, has a psychological impairment that prevents even simple, unskilled work.

 

The strict guidelines of the Social Security administration often are complicated and sometimes requires the aid of a professional. There are lawyers who are skilled in getting benefits for a person for a fee; there are also government offices who an aid the person seeking entitlements. The decision to apply for disability benefits is difficult and unpleasant but if it is needed there is help.