Applying for SSDI/SSI- The Crazy Meds run-down

How to Apply For SSDI / SSI When You're Mentally Interesting. Part 1 - Vital Websites and Your Medical Records.

This article is written by Bryan. Any comments by me are noted as such. I've mainly fit the article into the official mercantile Crazy Meds format and added a few notes on my own experience in going through the grueling SSDI application process.

First up - essential websites to visit to find out if you qualify and how to best apply for SSDI / SSI:

I recommend visiting the following site and clicking on the links offered: Mental Health Self-Help Network's Disability Income Page

Also: Federal definition of disability

Also: National Organization of Social Security Claimants’ Representatives ---Click on "Disability" and it will take you to FAQ. This source can also help you find an attorney if it gets to the point that you need to appear before a judge. Note from Jerod - I called NOSSCR's toll-free number ((800) 431-2804) and they found me a lawyer who was willing to come to my house when my agoraphobia was too severe for me to leave my house for weeks at a time. She put my case together and got my claim approved on an almost unprecedented second try. Plus she got the date of my disability back-dated, which more or less covered her fee. I highly recommend getting a lawyer through NOSSCR.

Also: Social Security's Disability Page ----This is where you start to find out if you're eligible in the first place. If you are, you can apply online. This site includes what the SSA considers mentally disabling.

Also: Answers to questions about disability benefits.

And: How to Prove You're Disabled When You Have a Mental Illness

And: Tips for Applying for Social Security Disability

And: Carolina Disability's Disability Discussion Fora - You don't have to live in the Carolinas to find the answer here! People in the system, both specialists and clients, get together to ask and answer questions about SSI / SSDI.

Jerod adds - finally, if you're fed up with waiting for your claim, or you're at the point where you're no longer disabled to the point where you can't work, but you still can't hold a job in the real world, check out the Department of Labor's attempt at getting people with disabilities into the wonderful world of self-employment. It's a bit light right now, but it's better than all of those work-from-home scams advertised everywhere.

Those are just for starters.

Find a psychiatrist that keeps good records---including your diagnoses, medical history, daily activities and how they are impaired, side effects of medication. Have someone go with you to the sessions (e.g. friend, family member, someone you live with) to help give the doctor/psychologist an understanding of your limitations and how you spend a typical day, and side effects of medication. If you cannot afford a medication or referral for counseling, then be sure to tell that to the doctor and have the doctor note that in his records.

Note from Jerod - see also the page on how to organize your medical records.

I know that history of hospitalization or suicide attempts would suggest the seriousness of a problem. However, don't be discouraged from not applying if you don't have these factors. So would prolonged, detailed records of ongoing mental health treatment.

When applying for SSDI / SSI, you should not be working ANY job, not even part-time. Once you get benefits you might be able to work.

One has to "prove" to the Social Security that they cannot perform ANY substantially gainful, competitive employment that exists in the nation's economy. Think of the most simple jobs that exist---sorting socks at a conveyor belt, working as a parking attendant, stuffing dolls, etc. The fact that no job exists in your area is irrelevant---you have to prove that even with medication, your condition renders you incompetent of working.

BEFORE applying, I recommend getting the following three books:

1) Nolo's Guide to Social Security Disability: Getting and Keeping Your Benefits, by David A. Morton III, M.D.
ISBN 0-87337-914-4 (Be sure to get the second edition, April 2003 as of this posting. The most expensive but most informative of the three books. Well worth the $30.) Note from Jerod - I used this book, but I still needed a lawyer.

2) Disability Workbook for Social Security Applicants: Managing Your Application for Disability Insurance Benefits, by Douglas M. Smith , ISBN 1-87814-011-6 ---Be sure to get the Revised 2003 edition. This book is worth it for the supplemental forms that help you organize your hospital/doctor/clinic information and other things. Note from Jerod - Amazon is currently offering just the 2001 edition, so you may have to shop around for the 2003 edition.

3) How to Get SSI & Social Security Disability: An Insider's Step by Step Guide, by Mike Davis, ISBN: 0595125743
(This gives a different account of actually how to navigate through the process---is very easy to read--and has a whole chapter on Mental Disorders).

Read through these books---and fill out the forms in the Disability Workbook for Social Security Applicants---before you begin applying.

Next, the actual application process.

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Created Tuesday, October 12, 2004

Last updated Monday, September 26, 2011

Almost all of the material on this site is Copyright © 2003 - 2010 Jerod Poore Except, of course, the PI sheets, those are the property of the drug companies who developed the drugs the sheets are about. And any documents that are written by other people which may be posted to this site will remain the property of the original authors. You cannot reproduce this page or any other material on this site outside of the boundaries of fair use copying without the express permission of the copyright holder. That's usually me, so just ask first. That means if want to print out a few pages to take to your doctor, therapist, counselor, support group, non-understanding family members or something like that - then that's OK to just do. Go for it! Please. As long as you include this copyright notice and the following disclaimer, I'm cool with it.

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