Anyone bipolar and receive social security disability benefits?

Question

and if so, would you tell me about your experience with trying to get it? How long did it take, etc? My psychiatrist feels that I would definitely get the benefits but I was denied once already. I have heard that it usually takes at least 3 times of applying for benefits to get them. I am in much worse shape mentally then I was at the time that I applied so I'm wondering if I should give it a go again. My working seems to be out of the question, yet my husband barely makes enough to support us and our 2 kids. And to anyone who wants to be judgemental, I did work for 10 years. I have 2 college degrees. I am not a lazy person by any means but I have gotten so bad to the point where ECT has been seriously considered. Thank you for any help and advice.

Answer 1

Each state can be different the first time i applied I got denied, but I appealed and recieved it.  I kept on the paperwork and it took about a year.  I live in Illinois!

Answer 2

I went about it in a little different way. I do have bipolar but I ended up with severe pneumonia that caused damage to my lungs. Just before I got the pneumonia, I had filled out the paperwork. I had it sitting in my car to take to the post office  when I went into the hospital. I talked to the psychiatrist at the hospital (I had just gotten out of the psych ward three days before and the hospitalists were very uncomfortable with my psych med's) about what to do. He suggested that I fill out the paperwork again using the respiratory disease instead of a mental illness. It worked and I got the benefits with no problem.

I know that everyone can not do it this way. What the psychiatrist told me (he also has a law degree and an engineer degree) is that it is less than 1% of the physical disorders will be denied but almost 85% of mental disorders are denied. You have to be persistent and keep re-appling to get benefits. Lawers do help in getting them, I don't know why but they do. Other's are right that it doesn't depend on the state you live in, they are federal benefits.

Best Wishes! ! !

Answer 3

my best freind just got disabilty for it .. she was turned down too several times she got a lawyer to take her case and she got it and got back paid there is several lawyers that will take your case without a fee if you are diganosed bipolar... I live in Indiana and I know a good one here..

Answer 4

I have bipolar, but not that severe, but know people that are.  Any that I know got turned down at least a couple times.  Some people would put on an act since mental illness cant be physically disproven, just to get money without working for it, so that makes it even harder for the people that need it to get it.   Is my understanding that they hardly ever give out disability benefits for mental illnesses on the first try, so keep trying.  

Find an advocate or a lawyer to help you with your case.  Is much harder to get it without.

Answer 5

I know four who have received Social Security disability for BPD and one who hasn't (he hasn't applied - has a civil service job and is treading water).

Of the four who do, three were approved first time, but had attorneys. The one who was denied once, got an attorney and received benefits.

I can't see how living in any state can make a difference, since the benefits come from and are administered by a federal program.