Mental illnesses are often overlooked in modern society. While people have gotten better about going to doctors for issues such as anxiety, depression and other mental disorders, they often go unreported. However, many of these serious illnesses could be bad enough to stop an individual from working and could net them disability benefits from the Social Security Administration.
A report from the National Institute of Mental Health claims that about 26.2 percent of American adults 18 and over suffer from a diagnosable mental illness and 6 percent suffer from a serious mental issue. NIMN researchers said mental disorders are the leading cause of disability in the U.S. and Canada.
Anxiety disorders were the most common mental illness for people to suffer with, as there are 40 million Americans ages 18 and older who suffer with this to some degree. Many may actually be affected by compounding disorders, NIMN said.
“Many people suffer from more than one mental disorder at a given time,” according to the report. “Nearly half (45 percent) of those with any mental disorder meet criteria for 2 or more disorders, with severity strongly related to comorbidity.”
The Law Offices of Harold W. Conick Associates have successfully represented hundreds of clients over the past 30 years who suffer from debilitating mental illnesses. This affects adults and children; in both, the symptoms of mental illness and side of effects of treatment drugs can be extremely debilitating such that a person cannot function in a work or school setting. We are experts at proving mental illness claims before the Social Security and Veterans Administrations.
