Does Severe Depression Count As A Psychiatric Disability?

Severe depression and other mental health conditions can be more challenging to prove than physical conditions. An X-ray or blood test will not reveal the presence of a severe depression psychiatric disability. Instead, doctors resort to assessing a patient’s symptoms and other methods to diagnose the condition and its severity.

Obtaining disability benefits for any condition, whether physical or mental, is an uphill battle. The Social Security Administration annually rejects more than two-thirds of the disability claims it receives at the initial disability determination stage. Here is an explanation of what it takes to be approved for disability benefits for depression through the Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) and Supplemental Security Income (SSI) programs.

What Is Depression?

Feeling sad or grieving over the breakup of a romantic relationship or job loss is expected. The sadness or grief eventually passes.

Depression is when the sadness and grief is persistent, occurring every day and lasting for two weeks or longer. There may be symptoms other than just sadness when normal feelings are caused by depression.

Several types of depression exist, with clinical depression being the most severe. You may see or hear clinical depression referred to as major depressive disorder or psychiatric depression. Psychiatric depression is not only the most common type of depression; it also is the most severe, with symptoms lasting for two weeks or longer.

Other Types Of Depressive Disorders Include:

1. Persistent depressive disorder presents milder or more moderate symptoms than clinical or psychiatric depression lasting at least two years.
2. Depressive disorders caused by a secondary medical condition, such as heart disease or Parkinson’s disease, cause the body to change in ways that can cause depression.
3. Disruptive mood dysregulation disorder generally affects children by causing outbursts of anger and irritability. Symptoms appear in children at about 10 years of age.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, approximately 18.4% of adults in the U.S. report being diagnosed with depression at some time in their life. The federal government estimates that 21 million adults, or 8.3% of the adult population, have experienced at least one major depressive episode.

Depression symptoms

The symptoms of depressive disorders include:

1. Decreased interest in activities.
2. Depressed mood.
3. Weight change caused by overeating or poor appetite.
4. Insomnia or oversleeping.
5. Concentration or thinking difficulties.
6. Feeling guilty or worthless.
7. Thinking about death or suicide.
8. Increased hand wringing, pacing, or other forms of physical agitation.
9. Slowed physical movements and reactions, including impaired speech.

The symptoms of depression affect people differently, and not everyone experiences the same symptoms or severity of symptoms.

Qualifying For Psychiatric Disability With Depression

The Social Security Administration uses the same definition when evaluating disability claims for the SSDI and SSI programs. An application for depression and Social Security Disability benefits must have a medically determinable physical or mental health impairment that lasted or is expected to last for at least 12 months or result in death.

The depressive disorder must prevent a person from doing substantial gainful activity, meaning being unable to work and earn at least $2,700 a month for someone who is blind and $1,620 for a non-blind individual. These are the substantial gainful activity earnings for 2025, but they change annually.

The Social Security Administration compiled a listing of medical conditions deemed severe enough to be disabling according to the disability definition. The listings, also called the “Blue Book,” include criteria a condition must meet to be severe.

Section 12.00 of the Blue Book contains adult mental disorders with the specific criteria for depressive disorders in section 12.04. A person must have medical documentation proving the presence of at least five depression symptoms with extreme limitation in one or marked limitations in at least two of the following areas:

1. The ability to learn new things, understand instructions, apply information, and use judgment when making decisions.
2. Using and displaying appropriate social behaviors when interacting with other people.
3. The ability to complete tasks by concentrating, persisting, or maintaining pace.
4. Ability to perform personal skills and tasks, such as cooking, shopping, paying bills, and practicing good hygiene.

Documentation to prove the criteria of the listing may come from a person’s health care professional, but statements from friends, relatives, colleagues and supervisors at work, and others can be useful for qualifying for psychiatric disability with depressive disorders.

If a person cannot meet a listing criteria, eligibility for disability benefits for depression may still be established by proving the limitations imposed by the mental health condition. A claimant must document that it prevents them from doing the work they did in the past or other types of work available in the national economy.

Get Help With Disability Benefits For Depression

Is depression a recognized disability? Find out by contacting Sackett Law for a free consultation and claim evaluation. Get outstanding representation from experienced disability lawyers with applications or appeals of claims for disability benefits for depression.