Support Group/How to get on disability in Seattle area

[Dreadful Delight]

I'm trying to find a support group in the Seattle area that would be able to help me in two ways.  A) A support system to help me deal with my husband who was recently diagnosed with BPD.  I do go to a therapist regularly, but I think that this would be an added benefit, as well as this site.  B) I think that  a support group would be able to walk me through the aspects of getting through the process, and know the ins and outs of the process.

My husband is not only having a hard time dealing with this diagnosis, but also deals with anxiety and agoraphobia as well as bipolar 2.  

Any help in pointing me in a direction would be helpful.

Thankfully,

Dreadful Delight

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I'm trying to find a support group in the Seattle area that would be able to help me in two ways.  A) A support system to help me deal with my husband who was recently diagnosed with BPD.  I do go to a therapist regularly, but I think that this would be an added benefit, as well as this site.  B) I think that  a support group would be able to walk me through the aspects of getting through the process, and know the ins and outs of the process.

My husband is not only having a hard time dealing with this diagnosis, but also deals with anxiety and agoraphobia as well as bipolar 2.  

Any help in pointing me in a direction would be helpful.

Thankfully,

Dreadful Delight

Hi Dreadful,

In order to find a support group, you should speak to your therapist and other therapists about groups in your area.  I have had to call many different therapy centers in my area at different times.  Also, there may be a behavioral counseling center in your area that might be able to help you.  As far as disability benefits go... .I think that each state has it's own laws.  I know that it's very difficult to get disability benefits period and you must keep trying. I've been told they almost always deny benefits with the first application. Be prepared to jump through many hoops.

[Cloudy Days]

I can only offer advice about the Disability Benefits. You must first apply on their website. Make sure you have a list of doctors, a list of medications he has taken and any diagnosis's and the doctors that diagnosed him. You must have a docter that supports your case, without this, you will never get approved. You basically submit your request, they deny you, you appeal they have you see one of their doctors, they deny you again, you hire a lawyer and appeal again, after 3 appeals it will go to a judge. This judge may ask for more testing (they did with my husband) or make a decision right there. It took my husband 4 years to get approved for disability. 4 years of not working and going to doctors, getting our own tests done which cost money and a huge amount of stress considering what he is disabled for is anxiety disorders and brain damage that prevents him from handling situations normally. I think the main reason he was approved was because he was diagnosed with brain damage, we had a neuropsychological test done, but even after that they wanted their own doctors to see him. The lawyer doesn't charge anything unless they win your case, they also get a large chunk of your money but once all is said and done it is worth it. The lawyer knows much more than you do, and will help out with a lot of things.

[Harri]

Hi there.  I want to give a bit of input on the Disability process.  I recently went through it but for physical disabilities.  I am not sure if the process is different or harder with mental disabilities.

I chose to get a lawyer (paid for on contingency basis) about 2 months after I applied online.  The entire process took "only" 19 months which is fairly short from what I understand.  I had tons of documentation from doctors, surgeons, physical therapists, etc.  One thing my lawyer kept stressing to me is that it was not that I could not do the job I had, but that I could not do ANY work that would allow me to earn a livable wage (not sure how they define that).   The gov't had me see one of their medical experts who then wrote a report and based on that, I was denied.  I understand that is very common unless your disability is on the List (I think it is called the blue list which lists all the diseases/disorders that usually result in a very quick favorable decision). 

After the denial, my lawyer filed an appeal.  During the entire process I was told it was very important to keep all of my doctors appointments, which I was doing anyway.  The only new thing that I had when we finally got to my hearing was something called a Residual Function Form that my doctor filled out.  She was asked all sorts of questions about my ability to perform certain functions like how long I can sit or stand, how much I can lift, how many breaks I need during the day etc.  From what i can tell, that form is what made the case for me.  At the hearing there was a government medical doctor as well as a vocational expert in the room with us.  In my case, only the doctor spoke about all of my medical conditions.  The vocational person basically sat and watched videos on youtube the whole 5 minutes I was in the room (I was sitting next to him and could see what he was doing on his laptop!  I wanted to say that *that* was a job I could do   )

So anyway, my experience is slightly different from what cloudy days described.  It may be because of the type of conditions I was applying for, I am not sure.  One thing I do want to mention is that while I was waiting to go into the courtroom, a youngish girl came out of another hearing room crying and upset.  She kept saying she was depressed and suicidal and asking why the judge was giving her a hard time.  I heard her lawyer say that she did not help her case by not seeking medical help or going for counseling or getting her medications filled.  With that, I finally understood what my lawyer said about how important it is to keep your appointments and to have documentation to support your claim.  Given that, it may be better for your husband to seek out counseling and whatever else he needs to prove that he is taking his disorders seriously and is trying his best to function to his fullest potential. 

I figured I would mention that as I read so many stories here and elsewhere on the net where people are not doing their part and are basically making it much harder to get assistance.  I realize some of the mental health issues will play into this too.  I am not sure what to suggest.

I wish you and your husband the very best.  You can do research online about disability criteria too.  I did not do that prior to getting approval but I did after and found a wealth of info.  I would be careful though as I do hear that they can monitor those types of things (have no idea how but it definitely makes me want to wear a tinfoil hat!).

P.S. One thing I did find out was that even after you get what they call a 'fully favorable decision' your case can be reviewed by some internal committee and they can actually change or override (not sure of the right word) the judges decision.  So nothing is actually set until you get your award letter.  It is a hellish and stressful process.  Good luck.

[Dreadful Delight]

Thanks for the input. Just got an email from my therapist that will help in addition to everything I've read here.  Here's to hoping!

[Cloudy Days]

I think it is harder to get approved for mental reasons mainly because they think people are faking it to get on disability. For my husband he had a record of 20 years of work history where he probably had at least 2 jobs per year because he could not keep a job. They didn't take his physical ability to do a job into consideration because it wasn't doing the job that was the problem, it was getting along with people long enough not to get fired. He made sure to play up the basket case persona in the court room too, Well it wasn't an act he was a basket case, it was very stressful for him.