PTSD

It is very tough to get disability based on one mental health impairtment. It usually takes a combination of mental and physical impairments in order to be found disabled. 

Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) can be the basis for a successful Social Security disability claim, but it must be properly medically documented. In deciding whether you are disabled, the Social Security Administration (SSA) will consider your medical records, including hospital records and clinic notes from physicians, therapists, and counselors. You will likely need a RFC completed by your psychiatrist to help with your case. 

Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), or post-traumatic stress injury (PTSI), is an anxiety disorder that usually occurs after a person has been involved in a traumatic event, such as military combat, sexual assault, childhood abuse, a severe car accident, or a natural disaster. Those with PTSD commonly experience nightmares, flashbacks, or panic attacks that seriously interfere with everyday life. Some people will think obsessively about their past trauma, while others will become emotionally numb and avoid thinking about it at all costs. 

PTSD can be acute or chronic, with a broad scope of severity. Once the threat is gone, intense, adverse emotions leave sufferers with a jumble of imagery, sounds, smells, and other vivid memories of the event. PTSD symptoms can include:

1. Flashbacks – Reminders of past events that trigger flashbacks, where the person suddenly relives the event as though it is happening again, without control. Triggers can be physical surroundings, smells, sounds, certain people, or other reminders of the painful experience.

2. Dissociation – Emotional numbness, a sense of being disconnected from yourself and detached from others. The person can lose awareness of what’s going on around them, being taken totally back mentally to the traumatic event.

3. Nightmares – Intrusive memories of the event can be in the form of dreams and night terrors. 

4. Intense fears – Episodes of intense, debilitating fear memories may be accompanied by periods of horror and helplessness, also referred to as emotional paralysis.

Further common symptoms of PTSD include:

-Anxiety and depression 

-Difficulty concentrating

-Confusion

-Angry outbursts, exaggerated startle response

-Avoidant behavior  

Symptoms normally begin soon after the traumatic event; however, PTSD can also suddenly be triggered years later. 

Social Security listing 12.15 Trauma- and stressor-related disorders (see 12.00B11), satisfied by A and B, or A and C:

A. Medical documentation of all of the following:

     1.Exposure to actual or threatened death, serious injury, or violence;

     2. Subsequent involuntary re-experiencing of the traumatic event (for example, intrusive memories, dreams, or flashbacks);

     3. Avoidance of external reminders of the event;

     4. Disturbance in mood and behavior; and

     5. Increases in arousal and reactivity (for example, exaggerated startle response, sleep disturbance).

AND

B. Extreme limitation of one, or marked limitation of two, of the following areas of mental functioning (see 12.00F):

     1. Understand, remember, or apply information (see 12.00E1).

     2. Interact with others (see 12.00E2).

     3. Concentrate, persist, or maintain pace (see 12.00E3).

     4. Adapt or manage oneself (see 12.00E4).

OR

C. Your mental disorder in this listing category is “serious and persistent;” that is, you have a medically documented history of the existence of the disorder over a period of at least 2 years, and there is evidence of both:

     1. Medical treatment, mental health therapy, psychosocial support(s), or a highly structured setting(s) that is ongoing and that diminishes the symptoms and signs of your mental disorder (see 12.00G2b); and

     2. Marginal adjustment, that is, you have minimal capacity to adapt to changes in your environment or to demands that are not already part of your daily life (see 12.00G2c).

Many veterans suffer from PTSD. The Veterans Administration  reports that PTSD is the leading mental health issue suffered by troops returning home from combat. As stated by the VA’s National Center for PTSD, many veterans of recent combat operations experience PTSD, including:

11 to 20 out of every 100 veterans (11-20%) who participated in Operations Iraqi Freedom (OIF) or Enduring Freedom (OEF)

12 out of every 100 Gulf War Veterans (12% ) who participated in the Gulf War (Operation Desert Storm)

30 out of every 100 Vietnam veterans (30%) who participated in the Vietnam War had PTSD in their lifetime.

PTSD can relate to a traumatic sexual event. A distressing number of veterans have suffered sexual assault, abuse, and harassment while serving in the armed forces, referred to as military sexual trauma (MST).

If you need help applying for Social Security Disability or SSI, please contact me at joshben99@gmail.com. I have over 20 years experience with Social Security Disability cases.