Can you get Social Security disability benefits for social phobia? The short answer is yes.
However, knowing that a condition can be disabling does not tell you HOW to prove that social phobia is disabling in your case.
As in any Social Security disability case, you have to show that social phobia keeps you from being able to engage in a substantial gainful activity (SGA).
Social phobia most likely affects your ability to work by making it impossible for you to have more than very occasional contact with the public, co-workers, or supervisors. That would be the workplace limitation that would preclude most kinds of substantial gainful activity and prevent you from being able to work.
You can prove this limitation by obtaining supporting statements showing isolation, difficulty interacting with others, avoiding social events — or avoiding contact with others during social events, going to the store to shop at 1:00 in the morning to avoid dealing with others.
Several of my clients have shared with me that they have left their groceries at the check out line because there were suddenly too many people in line, or there was some kind of commotion, or some other problem.
These cases are very personal. There is no recipe guaranteed to win your Social Security claim. But, if you just can’t be around people, if you avoid contact, even with people you like, you may qualify for Social Security.
It is often helpful to enlist the aid of an attorney, or even a family member, to help you list all the ways social phobia/social anxiety disorder affects your ability to function. Then figure out ways to document these problems.
Of course, as I have talked about many times before, medical records are critical. But, especially in social phobia cases, you will need to go beyond the medical records when developing your case.
on May 30th, 2008 at 7:46 am
I completely agree that it is necessary to go beyond the medical evidence to develop a claim like this.
One way to document the effects of social phobia is to keep a journal: http://gatesdisabilitylaw.typepad.com/blog/2008...
on May 30th, 2008 at 6:46 am
I completely agree that it is necessary to go beyond the medical evidence to develop a claim like this.
One way to document the effects of social phobia is to keep a journal: http://gatesdisabilitylaw.typepad.com/blog/2008/05/keep-a-journal.html
on Oct 19th, 2008 at 7:17 pm
hello if your on coounsulin but not getting better after several years and taking medicine also than thats a way to claim disability thank you.
on Oct 29th, 2008 at 8:40 pm
I have a question. My boyfriend suffers from social phobia. He goes to college but every night before he stresses out and then in the morning he pukes. He can't get a job because hes too nervous to ask for an application because he doesn't want to talk to anybody, and then when he does get a job he quits because he cant handle the stress everyday before going to work. Would he be able to apply for disability? He doesnt want to stress everyday about not having a job, but hes too nervous/scared to try and get a job.
on Oct 29th, 2008 at 9:42 pm
Thanks for your comment Lasha!
The only answer I can give is “maybe.” I have helped people with similar problems. However, there is no guarantee. Also, the fact that he is able to still go to school (with extreme difficulty, but he makes it) adds another wrinkle to the case.
As much as I would like to give a more detailed answer, I cannot evaluate cases or offer legal advice via comments or email (my malpractice carrier would have a fit). But, there are lots of opportunities to talk to an attorney.
If you are in Colorado, feel free to call me at (719) 630-1225 or (800) 407-0166 and we can talk about your boyfriend's case. If you are outside of Colorado, call an attorney in your area and discuss his case.
It sounds like he has been through quite a bit. Please give him my best.
Tomasz M. Stasiuk
A Whole Mess of Legalese:
Information contained on the website and responses to comments and email is general information about the Social Security system and is not legal advice. The information on this site may not be appropriate for the specific circumstances of a particular case and should not be used without obtaining legal advice. For a review of the specific circumstances of your case, contact an attorney for a consultation. The Stasiuk Firm is available for consultations by telephone at (719) 630-1225 or (800) 407-016. No attorney-client relationship is formed via unsolicited communications with the website or office. No representation is provided without a validly executed fee agreement signed by the Stasiuk Firm and the client (or their representative). Phew!
on Jan 23rd, 2009 at 12:00 pm
I'm going to try and keep this short and simple.
I have suffered from some fashion of social phobia since I was in middle school. It progressivly got worse in high school. I couldn't stand to be around people…the thought of interacting with my classmates would make me physically sick. I almost failed my senior year because I missed so many days. The only reason I made it through college (a one year technical school chosen for how quickly I could obtain my degree) was because I was able to lose myself in the books. I would arrive at class early so I wouldn't have to walk into a room that was already full. I only interacted with the students if a project required it.
I find it hard to keep a job. My last jot I worked as a customer service representative at a call center. I thought that not dealing with people face to face would alleviate some of my fears. I was wrong. Being stuck on a floor with 200 other people talking was devastating. I started getting daily migraines and had to give my job up.
I fear going anywhere…Even just to the grocery store. My heart races and most of the time I feel like I'm on the verge of a full on panic attack. I don't go out with my friends and rarely see them. I even panic when it comes to seeing some of my closest friends! Since I quit my job I've noticed I've become more withdrawn…the idea of having to get a job and interact with people terrifies me.
I don't want to be one of those people that doesn't try….I've taken medications and tried counseling. I read the legalese and know this doesn't constitue as advice
, but I was wondering if it comes down to this if this would be a possible course of action for myself?
Thank you for your time (and sorry for the life story!).
on Jan 23rd, 2009 at 12:09 pm
I can't tell you that you will win, but if your condition keeps you
from being able to do full time work, I believe you might have a case.
on Jan 28th, 2009 at 1:30 am
This is gonna be a long ramble, so I'm sorry, but here goes….
I haven't been “officially” diagnosed with S.A.D, because I can't afford the psych visits or insurance, and don't qualify for assistance. Things were generally okay for a few years, atleast so I thought (hindsight's 20/20). Apparently it started creeping up on me a few years ago, and I just didn't realize it until it got quite noticable.
Now, I spend almost all day everyday in my bedroom. When my roommate comes home from work I'll usually sit in the livingroom with him, but anytime he leaves the room I have to know where he's going, and if he's gone too long I go looking for him. When he leaves the house, I once again end up back in the bedroom. If he is gone overnight, I stay awake until I am simply so exauhsted that I HAVE to sleep, and then I do it with a loaded gun less than 2 ft away. I constantly think I'm hearing people moving around the house, or picking at the doors. I won't go out and check the mail unless it's the middle of the night when I know everybody around us is asleep and there are no cars anywhere in sight. If I have to get something out of my car, I watch through the front windows until I am certain there is nobody around, and then run to the car and back.
I have ended up trapped in my car in the driveway before because I went to get something out of it and there were a large number of families playing ball across the street. I sat in the car with the doors locked for almost an hour, shaking, watching in the mirrors to see if anybody was looking my direction, until finally I got out and ran inside the house.
I don't go to the store anymore. Even if I go to the grocery when almost nobody is there, I can't handle it. I start shaking and feeling like I'm going to be sick. I can't go down isles with other people because I can't stop looking over my shoulder. I went with my roommate to AutoZone once, and the whole time we were standing in line to check out I was shaking, nervous, sick to my stomach, sweating and dizzy. I couldn't shake the feeling for about a half hour after we left.
I have evening classes at a tech school 3 nights a week and I don't always make it to them. There are some nights when I am so upset that I can't leave the house. Sometimes I make it to the school, but can't get out of the car to go into class. I sit in the parking lot for up to an hour, and then turn around and go home. I have taken failing grades before for refusing to read a report in class, because as soon as the teacher would call me I would feel sick and start shaking, all the color would drain from my face and I couldn't talk or stand.
Anytime I'm out driving, if I happen to get lost in an area I'm not familiar with, I immediately start to panic. In my desperate desire to get out back where I'm sposed to be, I typically start speeding, making hasty decisions, taking more wrong turns, and overall getting even more lost. My brain starts racing so fast that I can't think of a logical way to turn around and go back the way I came.
I don't go out with friends anymore, what few I still have. I can't get past the feeling that if I go out with somebody, then something bad is going to happen. I tried looking for one or two people that I could talk to online and become friends with that maybe eventually I could start hanging out with, to try and get back out in the world. But as soon as they start talking about going to movies and such together, I immediately get stressed and sick and start wondering why they're so eager to meet and what they're really up to…and that ends the conversation. So I've given up on that.
I am pretty sure this is S.A.D, but with no way to see a doc, I can't prove it. I've tried going to psychs in the past, but we never made any headway. I would freak when they started asking personal questions and would get defensive, then they would get frustrated, and eventually soon after I just wouldn't go back.
on May 6th, 2009 at 8:23 am
hi am 23 i feel am stuck with this for life i dont know where to turn i cant communicate with people even people i know i really i want to get a job but am to shy to use a phone or even go to the job centre to look for a job or even sighn on. i want to get help to get over this and function in this world and get a good job and support myself at the moment my boyfriend supports me. i've been like this since i was little people said i would grow out of it but i seem to be getting worse.