What must be proven to receive SSD benefits for depression?

Depression and depressive disorders are serious mental conditions that can affect every aspect of a Charlotte resident’s life. From the manner in which they interact with their loved ones to their capacity to hold down a job, a serious depressive disorder can cripple a person’s ability to earn an income and live a full life. Because mental illnesses and disorders such as depression can impose life-altering changes on a person, individuals who suffer from them may often apply for and receive Social Security disability benefits.

If a person suffers from depression they must submit evidence to the Social Security Administration that proves the state and severity of their condition, as well as the duration that they have suffered from it and the expected duration that they will suffer from it into the future. There are a number of criteria that the reviewing entity will look for to establish depression as a condition in the applicant and the remainder of this post will address some of those criteria.

The reviewing entity will look for signs of a depressed mood in the applicant, and may look for evidence of the applicant’s contemplation of death or suicide. They will look for evidence of the applicant’s energy diminishing as a result of the condition as well as changes in the applicant’s weight due to modifications of the applicant’s appetite.

Losses of sleep, difficulty concentrating and focusing, and the loss of interest in normal activities may all also be observed as signs of depression in an applicant for Social Security disability benefits. The presence of these factors must impose limitations on the applicant’s ability to work and if sufficient may avail the applicant to support from the Social Security Administration.