Does Psychosis Qualify for Disability Benefits in Michigan & Ohio?
When people talk about psychosis, they’re talking about a range of mental health conditions that involve losing touch with reality.
If these episodes are long enough, frequent enough and severe enough, they can make it impossible to function in a job, stay afloat financially, and even keep a home. If this has happened to you or someone close to you, Social Security Disability benefits can provide a foundation for a healthier, steadier life .
Social Security specifically recognizes several conditions including psychosis as valid reasons to get monthly income assistance and Medicare access:
- Delusional disorder
- Schizophrenia
- Schizoaffective disorder
- Psychotic disorder
You might wonder if the Social Security Disability program truly respects mental illness.
It’s an understandable concern. Know this: It’s absolutely possible to win benefits with life-altering mental conditions. More than two million workers received benefits for mental disorders in 2023. It was the second most common type of impairment for workers approved for disability benefits.
To get disability benefits, you must have physical or mental health problems that will make it impossible to work for at least a year. It helps tremendously to have someone experienced with the disability benefits system guide you and manage the process of applying for benefits.
The disability lawyers at Levine Benjamin Law Firm:
- Helped over 80,000 people win benefits
- Have been helping people in Michigan and Ohio for 60 years
- Win the most benefits for clients of any disability law firm in Michigan
For help with a psychotic disorder disability claim in Detroit, Flint, Lansing, Grand Rapids, Toledo and all of Michigan or Ohio, talk to us.
From Applying to Appealing, We Help You Every Step of the Way.
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Disability for Psychosis: Symptoms to Document
These are symptoms of psychosis that the Social Security Administration (SSA) says can be part of a successful claim for disability benefits:
- Catatonia (including non-responsiveness)
- Delusions
- Disorganized speaking
- Disorganized behavior
- Hallucinations
- Problems managing information
- Problems relating to other people
- Problems staying with tasks
- Problems adapting to daily challenges
- Problems planning and managing daily activities
To win a disability benefits claim for psychosis, you can also document that you’ve had the condition for at least two years, that you’ve been receiving ongoing mental health treatment, and that you struggle to handle changes to your daily routine.
It’s a lot of information to organize. It can feel overwhelming. If you or a loved one are dealing with a psychotic disorder, you need and deserve support for your disability benefits application.
A skilled, experienced disability lawyer can take on the project of filing for disability benefits and fighting denials , so there’s less pressure on you.
No attorney fee until you win benefits. Talk to Levine Benjamin Law Firm—in a free initial consultation—to move forward with your disability claim.
Every Social Security Disability case requires hard evidence to back up the symptoms you report.
Social Security calls it “objective medical evidence,” meaning information and observations from health care professionals who work with you. These are additional sources besides yourself on how your psychotic disorder affects you.
These kinds of evidence strengthen a Social Security Disability claim for psychosis:
- A record of your diagnosis
- Exam reports from doctors and psychologists
- Results of psychological testing
- Psychological ratings from mental health professionals
- Medical imaging
- Laboratory test results
- A written history of your psychological health
- Log of medications you take
- Log of therapies you undergo
- Reports on side effects of prescriptions and therapies
Your disability application for psychosis can also include your own reports on what you experience with psychosis, ideally kept in a diary or journal.
Statements from other non-medical sources also enhance your case. Those sources include people who know you personally, like friends, family and religious leaders. They also can include people who know you through school, training programs and work.
People who have observed how psychosis impacts your life can attest to your struggles to perform in a work setting—the reason you should get financial relief from disability benefits.
Social Security will also place your psychotic disorder on a five-point scale of how you function, from zero limitation on your daily life to total limitation. To qualify for disability benefits, you’ll need symptoms that fall into level four, “marked limitation,” and level five, “extreme limitation.”
It shouldn’t have to be your job to deal with the Social Security Disability system. It is our job. The Ohio and Michigan disability lawyers at Levine Benjamin work with this process every day on behalf of people like you.
We’re here to fight for your disability benefits for psychosis—and your dignity, independence and peace.