Many people focus on physical disabilities when discussing the topic of Social Security disability, but there are millions of people who collect disability benefits for mental health disabilities. Because you can’t necessarily see a mental health disability, like in some cases you can in physical disability cases, there are specific rules on the severity of how mental health disabilities limit an applicant’s ability to work. These rules end up determining how severe impairments are. Social Security informs in its Listing of Impairments what evidence is needed in a mental health disability case.
What evidence do we need to evaluate your mental disorder?
- General, Social Security needs objective medical evidence from an acceptable medical source to establish that you have a medically determinable mental disorder. We also need evidence to assess the severity of your mental disorder and its effects on your ability to function in a work setting. We will determine the extent and kinds of evidence we need from medical and nonmedical sources based on the individual facts about your disorder. For additional evidence requirements for intellectual disorder (12.05), see 12.00H. For our basic rules on evidence, see 404.1512,404.1513, 404.1520b, 416.912, 416.913, and416.920b of this chapter. For our rules on evaluating medical opinions, see 404.1520c, 404.1527, 416.920c, and 416.927 of this chapter. For our rules on evidence about your symptoms, see 404.1529 and 416.929 of this chapter.
- Evidence from medical sources. We will consider all relevant medical evidence about your disorder from your physician, psychologist, and other medical sources, which include health care providers such as physician assistants, psychiatric nurse practitioners, licensed clinical social workers, and clinical mental health counselors. Evidence from your medical sources may include:
- Your reported symptoms.
- Your medical, psychiatric, and psychological history.
- The results of physical or mental status examinations, structured clinical interviews, psychiatric or psychological rating scales, measures of adaptive functioning, or other clinical findings.
- Psychological testing, imaging results, or other laboratory findings.
- Your diagnosis.
- The type, dosage, and beneficial effects of medications you take.
- The type, frequency, duration, and beneficial effects of therapy you receive.
- Side effects of medication or other treatment that limit your ability to function.
- Your clinical course, including changes in your medication, therapy, or other treatment, and the time required for therapeutic effectiveness.
- Observations and descriptions of how you function during examinations or therapy.
- Information about sensory, motor, or speech abnormalities, or about your cultural background (for example, language or customs) that may affect an evaluation of your mental disorder.
- The expected duration of your symptoms and signs and their effects on your functioning, both currently and in the future.
