Murfreesboro Mental Illnesses & Disorders | Social Security Disability Benefits for Mental Illness in Rutherford County | SSD | SSDI | SSI
Many people in Murfreesboro suffer from a mental illness that can be so serious that it prevents a person from holding a job or even getting out of bed in the morning. People who suffer from a serious mental illness are entitled to disability benefits from the Social Security Administration, just like someone with a physical disability would be. Additionally, people suffering from serious clinical depression may be eligible to receive disability benefits from the government. Visit our Social Security Disability Benefits for Depression page to read more on benefits for those suffering from clinical depression.
A number of different mental disorders may qualify you for Social Security Disability benefits. A licensed mental health professional or physician must evaluate your mental disorder and determine if it is so severe that it will prevent a you from working and persist for more than 12 months.
When applying for Social Security benefits for your mental disorder, the Social Security Administration may ask you to furnish information from some or all of the following sources: medical evidence, psychiatric information, evidence of work attempts, mental status examination, psychological testing, intelligence testing, personality testing, neuropsychological assessments and evidence of treatment. In cases involving traumatic brain injury, anxiety disorders and eating disorders, additional tests may be ordered.
For more information, you may wish to read our pages on (1) Getting Your Social Security Disability Claim Approved, (2) Social Security Disability Criteria, and (3) our FAQ Page, which addresses some of the most common questions that many social security disability claimants have.
Mental Illness – Murfreesboro
The Social Security Administration currently arranges mental disorders into the following seven categories.
1. Paranoid schizophrenia and other psychotic disorders
Schizophrenia ranks among the most debilitating and baffling mental illnesses. Paranoid schizophrenia is a chronic mental illness where a person loses touch with reality. The hallmarks of paranoid schizophrenia include having delusions and hearing things that aren’t real.
2. Manic depression and other affective disorders
Manic depression, also known as bipolar disorder, is a serious, chronic mental disorder. People who suffer from manic depression see their moods swing wildly, from a euphoric state to depressed. It is estimated that one in 100 people suffer from manic depression, which means that hundreds of people in the Murfreesboro area suffer from manic depression.
3. Anxiety-related disorders
Anxiety disorders are the most common of all mental illnesses and also rank among the most treatable. This category includes both anxiety disorders and obsessive-compulsive disorder. Anxiety disorder can leave you unable to cope with daily life. In these disorders, anxiety is either the predominant disturbance or it is experienced if the individual attempts to master symptoms; for example, confronting the dreaded object or situation in a phobic disorder or resisting the obsessions or compulsions in obsessive compulsive disorders. For more information on general anxiety disorders, click here.
4. Body dysmorphism and hypochondria
In body dysmorphic disorder, a person is excessively concerned by a perceived defect with a physical feature. This results in a distorted body image. Hypochondria is a belief that physical symptoms are signs of a serious illness, even when there is no medical evidence to support the presence of an illness. Both body dysmorphia and hypochrondria are somatoform disorders.
5. Personality disorders
A personality disorder exists when personality traits are inflexible and maladaptive and cause either significant impairment in social or occupational functioning or subjective distress. Generally, having a personality disorder means a person has an unhealthy pattern of thinking or behaving no matter what type of situation. Personality orders include borderline personality disorder, antisocial personality disorder and narcissistic personality disorder. Visit our page on personality disorders to learn more.
6. Mental retardation
One can be considered mentally retarded if they have significantly below average general intellectual functioning with deficits in adaptive functioning initially manifested during the developmental period. This condition must be diagnosed before age 18.
7. Autistic disorder and other pervasive developmental disorders
Autism is a neural developmental disorder that is characterized by impaired social interaction and communication and by repetitive behavior. Often, there is a markedly restricted repertoire of activities and interests, which frequently are stereotyped and repetitive.
Murfreesboro Area Mental Health Facilities
If you believe you suffer from a mental illness, you can seek treatment at any of these Murfreesboro area mental health facilities. We have located facilities, treatment centers and organizations devoted to mental illness throughout Rutherford County that can meet your needs.
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Guidance Center
Volunteer Behavioral Health
Rhonda Johnson LCSW |
Mental Health Co-Op Inc
Rutherford County Guidance Center
Genesis Psychiatric |
Applying for Social Security Benefits — What To Do if You Have Both Mental and Physical Disabilities
A large percentage of applicants for disability in the Murfreesboro area list both mental and physical disabilities on their applications. For example, applicants who claim to have cancer may also list depression or anxiety disorders as among their chronic ailments.
It is important to remember that mental and physical disabilities are given equal weight by the SSA. Disability Determination Services evaluates both mental and physical claims to make a determination of a person’s status. A local Rutherford County Social Security attorney can help smooth the application process for you when you are applying for SSDI or SSI claiming both mental and physical disabilities.
Social Security Disability Attorneys Serve Murfreesboro and Surrounding Cities
Serving clients throughout Central Tennessee, including Brentwood, Centerville, Columbia, Dibrell, Franklin, Hendersonville, La Vergne, Lebanon, Lewisburg, Manchester, McMinnville, Murfreesboro, Nashville, Shelbyville, areas in the vicinity of Murfreesboro Municipal Airport,and other communities in Rutherford County.
Mental illness can prevent you from working, but Murfreesboro social security disability lawyers can help. Contact one of the Rutherford County SSD or SSDI lawyers on this site for a FREE INITIAL CONSULTATION.