Is Anxiety a Disability? How Hard Is It To Get Disability for Anxiety?

Important: We updated this article in October 2024 to make sure all info below is both current and correct. Depression and anxiety can make daily activities feel impossible — including work. But is anxiety a disability that qualifies for benefits from the Social Security Administration? Unlike physical health issues, anxiety is harder to prove, despite how common it is. In fact, mental health conditions are the #5 reason people file disability claims. (The #1 reason is musculoskeletal disorders, such as back pain.) However, you may still get disability benefits for anxiety if your symptoms force you to stop working.

Social Security Disability Benefits for Anxiety: Key Takeaways

• Anxiety appears in the Social Security Administration Blue Book of eligible medical conditions. However, your diagnosis alone isn’t enough to get you disability payments each month.
• The SSA will not consider disability claims for anxiety alone if your doctor diagnosed you less than 2 years ago.
• Other medical conditions can play a major role in benefit approval, so be sure to list every symptom, medication, etc. on your application.
• People applying for disability for mental health reasons are far more likely to receive benefits if they work with an attorney.
• Mental health issues are also more likely to get disability benefits if you’re over 50 years old, don’t have a college degree or a sedentary job.

Is Anxiety a Disability?

The Social Security Administration (SSA) uses its Blue Book of conditions to evaluate applications for disability benefits. SSA criteria for anxiety and other obsessive-compulsive disorders do appear in the Blue Book under listing 12.06. This means that technically, yes, the SSA considers several different anxiety disorders to be disabilities. However, you’ll need to submit objective medical evidence showing your anxiety disorder interferes with your daily life.

Does the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) Cover Anxiety Disorders?

Unlike the SSA’s Blue Book, there is no list of physical and mental impairments automatically considered disabilities under the ADA. However, some people with severe anxiety disorders may request a reasonable accommodation in order to keep working. These include things like:

• Support animal in order to help manage panic attacks during work hours
• Ability to work from home, modify your work hours, or take additional breaks
• Access to a private work space or rest area vs. sharing an open plan office with co-workers
• Noise cancelling headphones, sun lamps, white noise machines, or other approved devices
• Access to on-site counseling or mentoring services

If you still cannot work even with reasonable accommodations or ongoing medical treatment, it’s time to file for disability benefits.

How Many Different Types of Anxiety Disorders Exist?

There are several different kinds of anxiety disorders, and they’re all hard to live with. In fact, anxiety disorders affect nearly 1 in 5 U.S. adults (19% of the population, according to the Anxiety & Depression Association of America). The most common anxiety disorder types include:

Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD)

Generalized anxiety disorder affects more women than men, statistically. But a 2023 study shows that it’s likely far more common than people realize. GAD also increases your risk for experiencing other related mental disorders, such as depression. The following are some common symptoms people with GAD might experience:

• Feeling a constant sense of extreme worry or nervousness, especially about health, being late, finances, and school or work performance
• Difficulty concentrating, relaxing, or handling uncertainty
• Analysis paralysis, or fear of making the wrong decision
• Easily startled or scared
• Irritability, or feeling “on edge” more often than is reasonable
• Feeling restless or easily fatigued
• Difficulty falling asleep or staying asleep

Social Anxiety Disorder (SAD)

Most social anxiety disorder sufferers (75%) report symptoms starting by the time they’re 13 years old. Much like GAD, SAD is more common among women than men, and it causes excessive anxiety around social functioning. In other words, people with SAD feel intense anxiety or fear when forced to interact with other people. Mental health therapy professionals classify 30% of SAD cases diagnosed each year as “extreme.” Common symptoms include perfectionism, nausea, sweating, trembling, gasping, increased heart rate, and avoiding eye contact.

Panic Disorder

Disproportionate fear or overwhelming anxiety and frequent, sudden panic attacks are the hallmarks of panic disorder. Since it may have a genetic component, other family members may also suffer from PD if you have it. PD sufferers can often benefit from medication, therapy, or both to manage ongoing symptoms.

Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD)

Obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) in real life is pretty different than what most of us see in movies or TV shows. OCD is a lifelong chronic mental disorder that has two key components:

• Recurring intrusive thoughts, feelings, or ideas that cause distress (obsessions)
• Repetitive behaviors, rituals, or activities that you feel you must do, no matter how time-consuming (compulsions)

Someone diagnosed with OCD can experience obsessions, compulsions, or both. Women are three times more likely to experience OCD symptoms as men.

Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)

Undergoing a traumatic experience is the most common trigger for PTSD. A 2024 study found during the 2020 pandemic, 22.2% of the U.S. population reported probable post-traumatic stress disorder symptoms, including:

• Difficulty falling asleep or other sleep disturbance, like nightmares or waking up often
• Flashbacks or intrusive, unwanted thoughts about the traumatic event
• Negative emotions, like fear, guilt, shame, anger, or helplessness
• Emotional numbness or losing interest in formerly enjoyed activities
• Feelings of detachment, disinterest, or difficulty concentrating
• Memory problems
• Sudden angry outbursts towards others, or self-destructive behaviors
• Hypervigilance (i.e., feeling constantly “on guard”)

Illness Anxiety Disorder (IAD)

You may have heard the term “hypochondria” before to describe this mental health issue. It’s characterized by excessive worry or fear that you may have a serious undiagnosed illness.

Certain Phobic Disorders (i.e., Agoraphobia, Claustrophobia, etc.)

About 1 in 10 of us have an irrational fear of a specific object or situation, also known as phobias. Some of the most commonly occurring phobias include a fear of tight spaces, heights, flying, blood, or leaving a “safe” environment.

Physical Symptoms That Help Support Your Disability for Anxiety Claim

Anxiety causes many different symptoms, from excessive worry to outright panic attacks and chest pain. And while it’s listed as a mental condition, excessive anxiety can often cause physical symptoms, including:

• Sweating
• Nausea, stomach pain, or diarrhea
• Visibly shaking or trembling
• Rapid heartbeat or palpitations
• Chest pain (in severe cases, you might feel like you’re having a heart attack)
• Hyperventilating
• Muscle tension or weakness
• Trouble swallowing or a dry throat/mouth
• Restlessness or physical agitation

Some symptoms may get much worse in social situations or when you’re at work.

Anxiety symptoms can also come on suddenly and without warning. Without proper medical treatment, it may interfere with your ability to concentrate and complete routine job duties. Work tasks that used to feel normal instead become paralyzing for people with anxiety. In fact, some people have such severe anxiety that just leaving the house triggers a panic attack.

How Can I Get Disability for Anxiety?

The Social Security Administration uses specific guidelines for proving anxiety disorders are severe enough to qualify for disability benefits. So what medical evidence do you need to get benefits?

To do this, you must meet the requirements in #1 and #2 listed below. (If you can’t meet #2, then you must meet #3 to qualify.)

Step #1: Show Your Anxiety Disorder Exists

First, show the Social Security Administration you have at least 3 of the symptoms listed below:

• Always feel restless
• Get tired easily
• Trouble concentrating
• Feel moody or irritable regularly
• Muscle tension
• Sleep disturbances (i.e., insomnia, nightmares)

Step #2: Prove Your Anxiety Causes Extreme Limitation In Your Mental Functioning Abilities

To do this, your mental functioning must show an extreme limitation in one area (or marked limitation in two areas) listed below:

• Understanding, remembering, or applying information
• Interacting with others
• Concentrating or maintaining a consistent pace while completing required tasks, like job duties
• Adapting or managing your behaviors

One way to address this step is to show that you need help from others completing tasks in your daily life. Another way is to show how many times you’ve been hospitalized for suicidal thoughts or engaging in self-harm, for example.

Step #3: Provide Medical Documentation Showing Your Anxiety Disorder is Serious and Long-Lasting

This means you have a medically documented history showing you’ve had anxiety for at least two years. To prove this with medical documentation, you must see an acceptable medical source (preferably a psychologist) regularly. You must also show you receive ongoing medical treatment for your symptoms, like mental health therapy. And if you take any prescriptions to help manage your anxiety, that’s even better.

Pro Tip: Ask your medical providers to complete a mental RFC form explaining how your symptoms hurt your ability to earn a living.

What Else Does the SSA Look for in Disability Benefit Claims for an Anxiety Disorder?

Your medical records aren’t the only thing the SSA reviews when you apply for Social Security disability. Here’s what else you must know when you apply:

1. You need 40 work credits to qualify for Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI). How can you be sure you have enough before you apply? If you worked 5 in the last 10 years while paying Social Security payroll taxes, then that’s enough.
2. You’re not currently getting any other Social Security benefits at this time. The SSA will only pay one benefit to each person based on their own work record. So, if you get early or regular retirement, you won’t qualify for SSDI benefits.
3. Your personal monthly income must be less than $1,550 when you apply. If you’re blind, the income limit rises to $2,590 per month. This SSDI income limit only applies to you, not your entire household. The maximum monthly benefit for SSDI is currently $3,822. However, most people get closer to $1,537 in monthly SSDI benefits.
4. You must be unable to work for at least 12 months in a row, specifically for health reasons. Just started anxiety medication or therapy treatment? Then there’s a chance your symptoms could improve in less than one year. If you can still work, the SSA will deny your application.
5. If you haven’t worked recently or enough years for SSDI benefits, you can apply for Supplemental Security Income (SSI) instead. However, SSI pays much less money each month than SSDI benefits for anxiety. Your maximum monthly benefit on SSI as an individual is $943 per month. Couples cannot get more than $1415 in 2024.

How to Get Free Help Qualifying for Benefits for Anxiety

While getting disability for anxiety isn’t easy, it is possible. If you find the claims process confusing or stressful, an attorney can answer your questions for free. An experienced disability lawyer can help get proper forms your doctor needs to complete, like a residual functional capacity (RFC) assessment. Getting professional legal help means you won’t make any mistakes on your disability claim paperwork. These mistakes can make the SSA automatically deny you benefits.

What’s more, all Social Security attorneys work on contingency. That means you’ll pay $0 unless a lawyer helps you win benefits. And if you do win, then you’ll only pay one small fee.

And working with an experienced disability lawyer triples your chances for benefit approval the first time you apply. That means you’re more likely to get your first payment within months instead of years.

Want to know if you’ll qualify before you file your disability claim? Click the button below to start your free online benefits quiz know and see if you may qualify for a free consultation:

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