You made an unexpected presentation at work and your heart raced, you felt tense, but the anxiety was temporarily exhilarating. Then you noticed the same feelings when doing less important tasks and had to take a sick day. If your anxiety has become disabling, you might not be far off.
WHAT IS ANXIETY?
“Anxiety is a feeling of fear, dread, and uneasiness. It might cause you to sweat, feel restless and tense, and have a rapid heartbeat. It can be a normal stress reaction.” Anxiety happens at work or before taking a test, but constant anxiety may become disabling if it’s overwhelming.
WHAT IS A DISABILITY?
A disability is something hard for you to partake in certain activities and interact with those around you. Disabilities have three dimensions, according to the World Health Organization: Impairment (loss of mental or physical function), activity limitation like hearing problems, or participation limitations (the inability to complete daily responsibilities).
REASONS WHY DISABILITY CLAIMS ARE DENIED
If you’re a U.S. citizen trying to get disability benefits due to a diagnosis of anxiety or another mental health disorder, you may not see the results you expected to see. Why?
- Evidence is always subjective. A physical injury is generally easy to validate with examinations, blood work, X-rays, and other impartial test results. By comparison, most symptoms and signs of a disorder like anxiety are skewed and subject to limited tests to determine the seriousness of a mental disorder with certainty. A mental disorder like depression, for instance, won’t show on a CT scan. Doctors and therapists depend on making a diagnosis by observation, consulting with the DSM-5 manual, and a person’s retelling of symptoms. This makes it exponentially harder to prove a mental health disorder is a disability that should qualify for subsidies through American social security insurance.
- Inability to deliver supporting data. Many disability claims face rejection because of inadequate, weak, or poor supporting evidence. If you’re trying to file for disability benefits based on a psychological disorder, you’ll need to provide your mental health records, the outcomes of different unbiased tests like IQ and memory impairment analysis, and documentation from your primary care physician or licensed therapist. All feasible evidence provided by the Social Security Administration will be examined, even procured from non-medical sources like written testimonies from your doctor or therapist; case documents from social workers; letters from family members, former co-workers, your prelate, or anyone else able to offer a narrative of how your psychological disorder impairs how you act and behave; and your own private remembrance about your illness and functional restrictions
- Failure to complete a scheduled therapy session as prescribed, which may harm your probability of getting any disability benefits. If your therapist or doctor prescribes a certain treatment program, including drugs like ketamine or various kinds of psychotherapy, you must complete it to be considered psychologically “disabled” and accumulate benefits.
- Inadequate treatment from a mental or medical healthcare provider. Not all mental healthcare professionals give high-quality care. If you’re not receiving the care you expect, the results will harm your ability to control symptoms of anxiety – and your chance of getting benefits. Any healthcare provider must work as your advocate and partner, providing you quality care and reporting on your health as required by our Social Security Administration. If you don’t believe you’re receiving the adequate care you need, find a new doctor or therapist.
- Cultural discrimination. About 40 million American adults struggle with the signs of anxiety and other chronic or mental illnesses, but sadly, we still often frown on the diagnosis of such conditions, especially when it comes to mental health. Because of this, we can only conclude that most benefit auditors harbor the same prejudice and will handle any claims as such.
- Filing for disability because of mental health as an impairment isn’t impossible, but getting success is much like results from mental disorder treatment – it could demand significant and continual effort before obtaining the benefits you merit.
TREATMENT FOR ANXIETY
Treatment for anxiety is similar when contrasted to other mental disorder programs. Following diagnosis, a doctor or licensed therapist may prescribe a care program that comprises different types of psychotherapy, in-patient care, self-help, or the application of new treatments to control the symptoms, like ketamine infusion therapy.
FINAL THOUGHTS
Anxiety is a severe mental health disorder whose symptoms and painful effects shouldn’t be disregarded. Once you acknowledge its symptoms, get help from a mental health provider or doctor before your health worsens. Getting proper care and subsequently prescribed medicine is an important move in reclaiming control over your life.
If you or a loved one have questions about the clinical use of ketamine to help treat the symptoms of anxiety we can help. Contact us today to learn more about the innovative new treatments that are available.
