For decades mental illness was not talked about, not supported and certainly not considered a disability. The Social Security Administration now recognizes mood disorders as debilitating mental illnesses that seriously affect your life and ability to work.
Currently, there are several classifications of mood disorders that can qualify you for Social Security Disability Insurance or SSDI.
Depressive and related illnesses
You can categorize these disorders by a general loss of pleasure or interest in life. This results in feelings of depression, hopelessness, and thoughts of suicide. You can also include episodes of mania in this category.
Anxiety disorders
This set of disorders deal specifically with feelings of anxiousness, apprehension and unease. If you suffer from an anxiety disorder, you worry excessively, have difficulty concentrating, panic attacks, or sleep issues.
Obsessive disorders
Like anxiety disorders, you feel restless and sometimes compulsively need to do things such as straighten your clothes or wash your hands.
Traumatic disorders
These are trauma-related conditions like post-traumatic stress disorders or PTSD. You might relive traumatic events or experience severe flashbacks.
Dysthymic disorders
Dysthymic disorders are sometimes called bipolar or manic-depressive disorders. You have severe mood swings from one end of the spectrum to another. You could be manic one minute and in a depressive state the next.
The Social Security Administration adds more to this list as they discover new disorders and categorize them. Just because your mood disorder is not on this list does not mean you are not eligible for SSDI. Mood disorders are debilitating, and they can stop you from living your life to the fullest.
