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.
.
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.
