Published on: March 20, 2024
Millions of people struggle with depression and anxiety, causing them to lose interest in personal and work activities. They are mood disorders that may become so debilitating as to prevent a person from working and earning a living.
If you or someone close to you struggles with depression and anxiety, monthly disability benefits may be available through the Social Security Administration. This article explains how to qualify for disability benefits for depression and anxiety through the Social Security Disability Insurance and Supplemental Security Income programs. It also describes how much SSDI and SSI benefits pay to someone disabled and unable to work because of depression or anxiety.
What Are Depression And Anxiety?
Anxiety and depression are mental health disorders that may qualify for disability benefits through either the SSDI or SSI programs. Whether or not depression and anxiety qualify for benefits depends on the symptoms and how they interfere with a person’s ability to function in the workplace.
Everyone experiences feelings of sadness depending on things going on in their lives. A bad day that makes you feel down and sad probably is not depression unless the sadness continues for a long time and interferes with your ability to function normally.
Some of the commonly experienced symptoms of depression include:
- Frequent or constant feelings of sadness.
- Lack of interest in activities you once enjoyed.
- Irritability, frustration, or restlessness.
- Eating more or less than usual.
- Difficulty falling asleep or staying asleep.
- Feeling guilty or that you are worthless.
- Suicidal thoughts.
Depression may be accompanied by an anxiety disorder that is different from feeling nervous or afraid when confronted by a dangerous or stressful situation.
Anxiety disorders go behind the typical fight or flight reaction a person experiences when facing danger. For example, confronting a bear or other wild animal when hiking in the woods would likely trigger fear and stress, which are normal responses to such a dangerous situation.
However, a person with an anxiety disorder disproportionately reacts to the fear of encountering threats or situations that may cause harm. Anxiety disorder causes you to avoid leaving your home to go for a hike because of the fear of encountering dangerous things or situations.
Experiencing constant anxiety about routine activities and situations you encounter in life is a generalized anxiety disorder and affects one out of every eight people. Symptoms may include the following:
- Fatigue
- Restlessness
- Feeling on edge
- Rapid heart rate
- Dizziness
- Shortness of breath
- Sleep disturbances
- Memory impairment
- Sense of impending doom
- Panic
Other types of anxiety disorders include:
Someone with an anxiety disorder may be unable to work because the symptoms prevent them from doing their normal work activities.
How To Qualify For SSI And SSDI Benefits With Anxiety And Depression
The criteria to qualify as disabled for adults applying for SSI benefits and applicants for SSDI are the same. You must be unable to engage in substantial gainful activity because of a medically determinable physical or mental health impairment expected to last for at least 12 months or result in death for a disability determination to qualify for disability benefits for anxiety or depression.
How Much Can You Receive In Disability Benefits?
If you meet the definition of disabled to qualify for SSDI or SSI benefits, the amount received depends on several factors. Whether the benefits are paid through SSDI or SSI is a significant factor in determining how much you get each month.
The maximum SSI benefit payable to an eligible individual in 2024 is $943 monthly. The maximum monthly benefit payment is $1,415 when both spouses qualify for benefits. These are the federal benefit amounts.
Many states pay supplemental benefits to residents who qualify for SSI, so depending on where you live, you may receive more each month than the federal benefit. If you have other sources of income, they may reduce how much you receive from SSI. Talk to a disability advocate at Disability Experts of Florida to determine how much you are entitled to receive each month in SSI benefits.
SSI does not require a work history at jobs where Social Security taxes were paid on the earnings. However, you need a work history to be eligible for SSDI benefits.
If you qualify for SSDI benefits as disabled because of anxiety or depression, the amount you receive each month depends on the amount of lifetime earnings subject to Social Security taxes. The maximum monthly SSDI benefit is $3,822 in 2024, but the average, as reported by the Social Security Administration, is $1,537.
Learn how a disability advocate can help you get disability benefits
More than two-thirds of the applications for disability benefits are rejected during the initial determination process. If you have a disability caused by anxiety or depression, improve your chances of being approved for disability benefits for anxiety and depression with the assistance of a disability advocate at Disability Experts of Florida. Contact them today for a free consultation and claim evaluation.
