diagnosis

Schizophrenia is a mental disorder that can result in hallucinations, delusions, and altered thinking. It is a serious psychological disorder, and is typically confirmed upon diagnosis by a psychiatrist.

The Social Security Administration (SSA) lists schizophrenia in its “blue book” as one of the disorders that are eligible for disability benefits. A diagnosis by a qualified healthcare professional confirming that you suffer from the disorder is essential. Furthermore, you must be able to show that you have suffered from schizophrenia for at least a month, or that your condition is expected to last for at least 12 months.

To qualify for benefits under SSA’s criteria, you must also prove that your disorder results in at least one of the several symptoms associated with this disorder, including audio and visual hallucinations, (seeing or hearing things that are not there), illogical thinking, emotional withdrawal, or non-responsiveness. Suffering from at least one of these symptoms must severely restrict your ability to function normally, and affect concentration and attention.

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Sometimes an individual does not have a medically verified diagnosis of their condition, but may suffer symptoms that impair their ability to work. If you suffer from chronic pain for instance, but have no medical evidence or diagnosis from a doctor about your condition, you will find it hard to qualify for Social Security disability benefits.

The Social security Administration (SSA) will require a medically verifiable condition, and will require that your application for benefits be accompanied by medical documentation and evidence of your condition. Even if you are suffering from symptoms like pain, fatigue, frequent dizzy spills or other issues that make it difficult for you to earn a living, you most likely will not qualify for benefits if you are unable to provide medical proof of these symptoms.

Conditions that involve frequent and chronic pain are a prime example of cases in which a person may find it hard to qualify because there is no medical evidence of the impairment. Apart from chronic pain and fatigue, you might also find it more challenging to claim benefits if you suffer from unexplained lower back pain, carpal tunnel syndrome or other types of repetitive stress injuries that may not show up on lab tests, CT scans, or MRI’s.

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