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If you have had to go on disability for reasons of mental health.....can you tell me what that is about? I wonder if it makes a difference for future possible employment if that becomes an option or if it is confidential or anything, really. Thanks.

my daughter won hers (yay!!!!!) and i know she can work but certain amounts she may make will affect the amount she receives. right now she cant work at all, so its a moot point. im not sure she ever can work more than part time at the most.

would it be confidential? i dont know that. she hadnt thought of that.

its like SSI here in texas, and it gives her medicaid and food stamps, altho we dont know about them yet.

I've been on disability for depression for several years now. I did try to look for work and had several interviews, but I didn't get any of the jobs. When I was asked why I hadn't worked in all this time, I just said I had been ill, and was now better enough that I wanted to go back to work. I never mentioned that I was on disability or that the illness was mental. But I wonder, since I was turned down for jobs that I had been clearly capable of doing when I was well, if somehow they found out about the disability and the mental health problems -- can they just enter a Social Security number somewhere and find out? I don't know.

I had a nervous breakdown at work and I am now on disability. I can earn $670 a month and still keep my stipend but I tried being a substitute teacher and fell apart. I am also is a lot of physical pain. I had to stop helping my son because of the lower income and he is now being evicted so it is hard on those around me. I was embarrassed at first and I find that some people still judge me but I am doing the best I can.

would it be diff in diff states? or federal? ours is both, i wonder. we dont even know what benefits my daughter will receive yet...or what ones she wont. they said they pay for 3 meds a month, does anyone know the list of ones they will or wont pay for? we were told of a list of ones they wont cover.

do yall have to send in any income stubs? she does......once a month.

the tax rebate isnt counted as a asset. but her limit is 3000$ like she would ever have that..lol.

I get SSDI which is like SSI only for people who have a work history. It is from the federal government and you apply online. I also get disability from my old job which is private insurance.

I have been on disability since 2003 when I was let go from my last job. I manage quite
fine and because I had that money coming in wasn't motivated to look for another job.
Fast forward to now the biggest problem I have getting employment is explaining the gaps
in my resume.


Its my understanding that disability is supposed to be a temporary thing. The government wants me to
be off assistance and employed. In my next job whatever I make is deducted from my cheque.I am working with a
counsellor who is aware of my mental health issues and is trying to help me market myself despite
my limitations. IMO its a hard cycle to break though.

SP

Forgot to mention,my disability cheque covers my rent and the price of my medications
which is a good thing beacuse my antidepressants aren't cheap!

SP

from all the posts, i see its diff in every place.

so i guess C2L, you will have to ask in the place you live to see whats its like there.

The one universal disability is from the federal government. If you have a work history it is called SSDI. If you do not have a work history it is called SSI. Everyone in America is welcome to apply to these programs no matter what state you are in. Here is the link.

http://www.ssa.gov/disability/

I'm on incapacity benefit and disability living allowance. I can work on the DLA, but on the incapacity benefit I think I can only earn £20 a week before they stop it.

I don't want to repeat what everyone else has already said, but I got to meet with someone who explained SSI/SSDI and working. it was very helpful. I have been on SSDI because I have a work history, since 2005 I think. The amount you get is calculated through how much you were earning at the time. its a confusing formula they use. anyway, I can earn just under $700 a month now in addition to my SSDI and keep it. I forget the exact number but basically if i work part time, I should be fine.

However, people have brought up an issue that I have been having.........the gap in employment. I have been very qualified for these jobs I interview for and nothing. so Now I am going to volunteer to help fill in on my resume and then people will look more at that as the recent thing.

I have an employment specialist working with me and am on a vocational rehabilitation wait list. My skills and everything is great.......awesome, but people want to know why I haven't worked. at first I just said "I didn't NEED to work but WANTED to work' and so then people would say "gee, must be nice to not need to work.........." if they only knew. then I took a chance and tried to make a short comment like "I experienced something traumatic and then needed to take time for myself and now I am better" and still didn't get the job.

I have been told that there is not a way for employers to find out you are on disability or not. My friend gets SSI and she tells everyone about her 'issues' in a kind way but I wouldn't go about it like she does. she went for a job interview at the last minute and was nervous and all and then gets a call back! she told them what some of her problems were but that she was better and could do this! I can't figure out if its best or not!

but...........here is something I learned the hard way. for those of you around here last year already heard this, but I did not tell anyone about my disability at the wonderful job I got last year. after a month I was suicidal and at my T's office. could not go to work in the next hour. so I called and was honest and was fired on the phone!

once I come off the vocational rehab I am going to get help from an agency who helps disabled people work and the employers know about the disabilities.

just my experience...........

Roo

Jody,

I forgot to mention that if your daughter gets Medicare, they do pay for more than 3 meds. all of mine are covered with no questions. the issue I have learned is that it depends on what insurance company she is enrolled with. Like I have AARP for prescriptions only.

If I had medicaid which is through the state, then they often pay for less. I only pay $2.80 for each brand name drug and $0 for each generic! I think I only paid like $5 for me AND my H who is also on disability this month! Once you reach like $3,000 for the year (and that is going by what it costs and not what you pay) then I pay nothing. Last year, I had no copays for the rest of the year from June -December. Feel free to email or PM me about this stuff if you want specifics.

Roo

I am currently on my employer's short term disability through August. That will be six months from my hospitalization for major depression and suicidal thinking I had in Feb. For the last three months my therapist has been working with the depression and GAD and I am on meds for both (Cymbalta & Klonopin). This month after a rather loud, panic attack filled, disassociative session which included my husband. My therapist begins to talk to me about BPD. Now I am starting lamectal (sp). My employer (Who is my Husband) does not want me back and frankly I don't want to go back.

I am at the beginning of what I see is a long road to recovery. I am still depressed and suffer from anxiety attacks almost daily. I break down in tears over nothing routinely. I self harm by not eating unless there is no way to avoid others realizing that I am not eating. I also self harm by working out to the point of exhaustion or mountain biking faster than my skills on the trail will allow and find a release in the pain. In the past I struggled with a kinky sexual addiction that involved bondage and flogging to get that release. I either avoid home if I am agitated for fear of what I might do to myself or I hide at home on the couch in a deep state of depression.

But... I am physically fit. I manage to make it to the health club for specific classes 80% of the time. So am I disabled? Even after my short term disability runs out I do not want to return to the office manger/bookkeeping position that put me into a depression. Or even one like it elsewhere. That would be stupid. I used to be a Rec Therapist... but my certification has lapsed so I would have to take classes and retesting to do that again. I have an expired teachers certificate from another state but again there would be additional classes and retesting. Am I disabled if I can not return to a job of comparable pay rate that I was receiving? What constitutes disabled from a mental illness? Especially a newly diagnosised one. I am 43 and my world collapsed now after about 6 or 7 different careers (not jobs but careers). I successfully functioned and hid who I was (or never knew...still dont know) I am going to have to have some income coming in. My husband can not support us on the business alone especially since he is cleaning up my screw up with payroll taxes and penalties that caused us second mortgage our house.

As you see... I ramble. How do you qualify for Disability for a mental illness? Is BPD an illness? I know depression is.

Well I know that after I got off short term disability with my employer, I was not able to return to work because of my severe depression, self harming, eating disorder, anxiety and suicide attempts. then it went to long term disability and then I was told to apply for social security disability. from there, the paper work went to my psychiatrist, therapist and any other doctors that were treating me. They had to provide documentation of hospital visits and stuff. then social security sent me to one of 'their' psychiatrists for an evaluation. He had to submit his findings and I heard that its not easy to get them to determine one is disabled from a mental illness. anyway, I had great documentation and stuff and I was approved immediately.

Now, I have an uncle who has tried to get disability and he is severely severely depressed. nothing was approved which sent him into a bigger depression.

one can't get disability just because they don't want to return to a lesser paying job or career or something. I got a job but was terminated last year when i was suicidal. I had not worked anywhere else for a real job in 5 years. now I am having a major hard time trying to get work. I had decided to volunteer someplace but I post poned my interview this week because I was too overwhelmed. I am going to take care of my aunt at her home 4 hours a week though. maybe that's all i can work now.

I am on SSDI and I get a check for myself and for each of my two daughters. It used to cover our rent but our mortgage is higher so it doesn't even cover our house payment. My husband covers the rest and he pays the bills. The only money I have is from my book sales and from working at camp during the summer (which is not much and most of it goes back to the camp when I pay for my daughter's camp each summer).

On an employment application I just put "self-employed" but in reality I don't make enough with my book selling for it to be considered employment so I don't have to report it when I file my taxes. I am thinking about applying for tutoring jobs after the summer since my husband and I will most likely be getting separated in the future. I don't think I can go back to teaching or anything that requires me to hold it together for too many hours in the day because I don't seem to have the energy required to maintain that over a long period of time, especially if I am going to keep doing therapy (I am doing once a month appointments during the summer and will probably continue that schedule the rest of the year since only 20 visits are covered by insurance and that is the only way to stretch them out).