Does your family understand your disability? (depressed, psychiatrist, spouse, sleep)
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My family is against me being on long term disability and trying to get social security disability. They think i should get a job to save my house. I told them i am worth more than a house and it hurts me dearly when they bring it up.
I have tried to commit suicide in the past due to job stress and other things. They always compare themselves to me. Sometimes i just feel like giving up.
My psychologist told me today their intentions are good but their doing it the way.
My plan is to get social security disability and go to school full-time. I love psychology. I think i would be one hell of a therapist...she also said i am very smart in emotional behavioral.
How would you react towards your family? Family gatherings are hard for me
My family is against me being on long term disability and trying to get social security disability. They think i should get a job to save my house. I told them i am worth more than a house and it hurts me dearly when they bring it up.
I have tried to commit suicide in the past due to job stress and other things. They always compare themselves to me. Sometimes i just feel like giving up.
My psychologist told me today their intentions are good but their doing it the way.
My plan is to get social security disability and go to school full-time. I love psychology. I think i would be one hell of a therapist...she also said i am very smart in emotional behavioral.
How would you react towards your family? Family gatherings are hard for me
I wish you well.
Perhaps, if you think that it is appropriate you can share your medical reports with your family. Sometimes, "invisible" disabilities such as depression and mental illness are not obvious to people, even to people who love you very much. You may need to miss family gatherings if it is too difficult for you to attend them.
Please be aware that it may take several years to be approved for social security disability.
While every case is different, it took me hundreds of hours of work collecting documents & medical reports & various assessments and filling out forms. It took almost 2 1/2 years to get my husband approved for SS Disability and he had a very clear cut diagnosis with extensive medical documentation, hospital records and other proof. Some cases can take even longer to get approved. It was definitely worth it for us in the long run but he was without a paycheck or money coming in during that time and it was extremely difficult financially for us to survive.
Unless you have a spouse who is supporting you financially it could be difficult to be on your own unless you have a substantial amount of savings or your family to support you. Is your psychologist aware of your financial situation? Do they feel that you would definitely qualify for SS Disability?
My family is against me being on long term disability and trying to get social security disability. They think i should get a job to save my house. I told them i am worth more than a house and it hurts me dearly when they bring it up.
I have tried to commit suicide in the past due to job stress and other things. They always compare themselves to me. Sometimes i just feel like giving up.
My psychologist told me today their intentions are good but their doing it the way.
My plan is to get social security disability and go to school full-time. I love psychology. I think i would be one hell of a therapist...she also said i am very smart in emotional behavioral.
How would you react towards your family? Family gatherings are hard for me
I have a similar problem with members of my family but they don't say it out loud. I have an apartment in an assisted-living complex and have home care services. Bi-polar, diabetic.
I can tell by the way I am treated that they don't understand the diseases and make erroneous judgements. It's really getting me down.
My psych is helping me work on a letter to my family about this.
Maybe writing a letter to your family about how you feel and what your daily struggles look like would work for you.
When depressed as a child, I was told "you can't be depressed, you have such a wonderful mother!"
As an adult trying to explain my seasonal depression, her response was, "i don't get depressed in the winter because I have my books and things to keep me busy."
Icing on the cake: she doesn't believe in mental illness or sleep disorders and chooses to blame the victims. She even WROTE A BOOK about how mental illness doesn't exist!
My dad has a severe and chronic psychotic disorder and spent most of my childhood in a state hospital. I was told he was "faking it" so he didn't have to work.
I'm a trained psychotherapist (of couese!) and my mum conveniently "forgets" what I do for a living whenever we talk, which I hope will be never again.
People are very judgmental about affective disorders disability, unfortunately. If I was to ever file for a mental health reason, I would not tell anyone. Actually, I would not tell anyone, period.
It is unlikely their views will change, so don't bother. YOU need to focus on YOU. Not their approval for your disability. If you wait on that, you will be disappointed and it will deepen your depression.
Perhaps, if you think that it is appropriate you can share your medical reports with your family. Sometimes, "invisible" disabilities such as depression and mental illness are not obvious to people, even to people who love you very much. You may need to miss family gatherings if it is too difficult for you to attend them.
Please be aware that it may take several years to be approved for social security disability.
While every case is different, it took me hundreds of hours of work collecting documents & medical reports & various assessments and filling out forms. It took almost 2 1/2 years to get my husband approved for SS Disability and he had a very clear cut diagnosis with extensive medical documentation, hospital records and other proof. Some cases can take even longer to get approved. It was definitely worth it for us in the long run but he was without a paycheck or money coming in during that time and it was extremely difficult financially for us to survive.
Unless you have a spouse who is supporting you financially it could be difficult to be on your own unless you have a substantial amount of savings or your family to support you. Is your psychologist aware of your financial situation? Do they feel that you would definitely qualify for SS Disability?
Good luck to you.
It sounds like you didn't get a lawyer to work your case. I know this is a little off topic, but I suggest that anyone who is trying to get SS disability hire a lawyer to help them. It is worth every penny, because it is difficult, if not impossible, to get it on your own. Not only that, it's a heck of a lot of work to acquire and submit all the documents correctly and when you're sick and disabled, you sure don't need those additional problems in your life.
I hired a lawyer immediately when I decided to file. It was smooth and easy. I got my letter from my first doctor, met a paralegal once to sign the paperwork and give her a list of all my doctors, and that was it. I got approved on the first try in only three months. And I was only 34 years old at the time. However, I had a very strong case with several chronic medical conditions, and often people get approved based on the strength of their medical record. The lawyer got his cut out of my back pay when I received it, (and his cut is capped by law at 33% of your settlement). If I had to do it all over again. I would hire a lawyer again without hesitation.
As for your family, I wouldn't show them your medical record. It is none of their business. But keep trying to work out the issue with them. I have the invisible disability thing also, primarily bipolar and epilepsy. Educating them on invisible disabilities can be helpful. Sometimes just avoiding the topic is the best thing. If you choose to go that route, it's a good idea to avoid discussing your efforts to get disability and your financial situation in general. Sometimes people just won't understand things, and SS Disability is a topic that people are unfortunately very judgmental about, no matter how much educating you do, because it is considered an "entitlement program." You can talk yourself blue in the face and it might not help one bit.
It sounds like you didn't get a lawyer to work your case. I know this is a little off topic, but I suggest that anyone who is trying to get SS disability hire a lawyer to help them. It is worth every penny, because it is difficult, if not impossible, to get it on your own. Not only that, it's a heck of a lot of work to acquire and submit all the documents correctly and when you're sick and disabled, you sure don't need those additional problems in your life.
I hired a lawyer immediately when I decided to file. It was smooth and easy. I got my letter from my first doctor, met a paralegal once to sign the paperwork and give her a list of all my doctors, and that was it. I got approved on the first try in only three months. And I was only 34 years old at the time. However, I had a very strong case with several chronic medical conditions, and often people get approved based on the strength of their medical record. The lawyer got his cut out of my back pay when I received it, (and his cut is capped by law at 33% of your settlement). If I had to do it all over again. I would hire a lawyer again without hesitation.
As for your family, I wouldn't show them your medical record. It is none of their business. But keep trying to work out the issue with them. I have the invisible disability thing also, primarily bipolar and epilepsy. Educating them on invisible disabilities can be helpful. Sometimes just avoiding the topic is the best thing. If you choose to go that route, it's a good idea to avoid discussing your efforts to get disability and your financial situation in general. Sometimes people just won't understand things, and SS Disability is a topic that people are unfortunately very judgmental about, no matter how much educating you do, because it is considered an "entitlement program." You can talk yourself blue in the face and it might not help one bit.
While I am glad for you, Scooby. If you read the statistics on SS Disabilities, being approved on the first attempt and at only three months, even with an attorney, is extremely, extremely unusual (or, at least it was when my husband qualified several years ago).
I believe that they did not even start to read or review my husbands file, at the very first level, until four months after I/he filed the 60 plus pages of initial documentation & paperwork.
OP, perhaps your psychologist can help you decide what amount of information is best to share with your family in your particular situation.
Good luck.
BTW, My husband was disabled for years before he/we even told his siblings, who lived in other states. And, that was only because his disabilities, by that point, were far too obvious to ignore. They assumed that he took early retirement.
Last edited by germaine2626; 03-26-2016 at 08:43 AM..
When depressed as a child, I was told "you can't be depressed, you have such a wonderful mother!"
As an adult trying to explain my seasonal depression, her response was, "i don't get depressed in the winter because I have my books and things to keep me busy."
Icing on the cake: she doesn't believe in mental illness or sleep disorders and chooses to blame the victims. She even WROTE A BOOK about how mental illness doesn't exist!
My dad has a severe and chronic psychotic disorder and spent most of my childhood in a state hospital. I was told he was "faking it" so he didn't have to work.
I'm a trained psychotherapist (of couese!) and my mum conveniently "forgets" what I do for a living whenever we talk, which I hope will be never again.
SS gives little credence to psychologists reports. You may want to begin seeing a psychiatrist if you are planning on filing SSDI. Otherwise, SS will send you to one of theirs when the time comes for assessing the claim.
It sounds like you didn't get a lawyer to work your case. I know this is a little off topic, but I suggest that anyone who is trying to get SS disability hire a lawyer to help them. It is worth every penny, because it is difficult, if not impossible, to get it on your own. Not only that, it's a heck of a lot of work to acquire and submit all the documents correctly and when you're sick and disabled, you sure don't need those additional problems in your life.
I hired a lawyer immediately when I decided to file. It was smooth and easy. I got my letter from my first doctor, met a paralegal once to sign the paperwork and give her a list of all my doctors, and that was it. I got approved on the first try in only three months. And I was only 34 years old at the time. However, I had a very strong case with several chronic medical conditions, and often people get approved based on the strength of their medical record. The lawyer got his cut out of my back pay when I received it, (and his cut is capped by law at 33% of your settlement). If I had to do it all over again. I would hire a lawyer again without hesitation.
As for your family, I wouldn't show them your medical record. It is none of their business. But keep trying to work out the issue with them. I have the invisible disability thing also, primarily bipolar and epilepsy. Educating them on invisible disabilities can be helpful. Sometimes just avoiding the topic is the best thing. If you choose to go that route, it's a good idea to avoid discussing your efforts to get disability and your financial situation in general. Sometimes people just won't understand things, and SS Disability is a topic that people are unfortunately very judgmental about, no matter how much educating you do, because it is considered an "entitlement program." You can talk yourself blue in the face and it might not help one bit.
I tried to educate my family but they keep comparing themselves to me. And when i went on long term my family kept pushing me to get a job snd the disability insurance company said if i hired a lawyer thry would denied my claim.
It was a big mess and still is
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