FAQ: Does BPD qualify as a Disability under social security?

[BPDFamily.com]

My UBPDDH is so unhappy with his job (almost 20 years) that one way I got him to agree to getting an official diagnosis and treatment (first appointment is this week and he probably has more PD's than BPD alone) was by telling him that I've seen people with disorders like this be able to get Social Security Disability.  I have seen Bi-polar folks and those with anxiety/depression get approved (patients in my office).  I also was very clear with him about the process and getting turned down, so I'm not exactly enticing him to get help with the promise of getting him out of that job.  But his sense of self-worth is so poor and he comes home nearly day dysregulated from the strain of the job, I know if he had time to heal and learn and be in therapy, he'd probably be ready to find something he enjoyed doing.

Anyhoo- please hop in and let me know if your BPD is on disability for the disorder.

Thanks and God bless you all!

JDoe

[JDoe]

My UBPDDH is so unhappy with his job (almost 20 years) that one way I got him to agree to getting an official diagnosis and treatment (first appointment is this week and he probably has more PD's than BPD alone) was by telling him that I've seen people with disorders like this be able to get Social Security Disability.  I have seen Bi-polar folks and those with anxiety/depression get approved (patients in my office).  I also was very clear with him about the process and getting turned down, so I'm not exactly enticing him to get help with the promise of getting him out of that job.  But his sense of self-worth is so poor and he comes home nearly day dysregulated from the strain of the job, I know if he had time to heal and learn and be in therapy, he'd probably be ready to find something he enjoyed doing.

Anyhoo- please hop in and let me know if your BPD is on disability for the disorder.

Thanks and God bless you all!

JDoe

[havana]

I'm sorry but I don't think BPD is a reason for disability, it's more of an excuse for disability. Social security has enough problems without adding all of the pwBPD to it becuase they can't get along with people

[dados76]

my partner has some friends... a couple are on disability for BPD... it does qualify in extreme cases... my partner probably would qualify... for a lot of things... as is... he does fall under some guidelines for reasonable accomidation under the ADA...

mental illness... when it severely effects functioning... can be a disability... somebody that dissociates a lot... and is in and out of hospitals... probably cant work... or shouldnt until they can work out some kind of treatment... its not necessarily willful being a pain in the @ss...

my partner can get along with people... if he has to... and has time to get to know them... and thankfully... works in a field where he doesnt have to talk to many people... so he can get to know them slowly if he has to... its not a disease of not getting along... its waaay deeper and broader than that...

[havana]

I agree the extreme cases should not be in the workforce. Most pwBPD have not been hospitalized numerous times for it.

[Randi Kreger]

A great many of the people with BPD whom I know either are or have been on disability. They usually have a long history of hospitalizations. People with BPD (the lower-functioning, "conventional" type) are HEAVY users of the mental health system. If you want more info, you might want to go to BPDRecovery.com and post something. Also BPDSelfhelp.com, perhaps. I can try to find some people if you can't yourself. I do know that it is very difficult to get disability for anything, that they lose files and don't care much about it, that you usually need an attorney, it can take a few years, and that they routinely deny people the first time around just to see if you're really serious. See an attorney and find a mental health professional (psychiatrist, I bet) who has been involved with this before. Randi Kreger Author, "The Essential Family Guide to Borderline Personality Disorder "

[trax]

xh was on disability when he was a kid and into his 20s until they took it away (I don't know what for specifically) I truly think he can not hold down a job.  He has been dx with bipolar, BPD, depression, adhd and probably more that I don't know about.  The longest he has held a job since I have known him was 8 months and it was a part time thing.  The other jobs have been 6 months, 4 months, 5 weeks, 4 weeks, etc.

[JDoe]

Thanks, everyone.  I am familiar with the SS system from the work I do, and the abuse and misuse of the system.  That is not our goal, and we are looking into short-term-disability to give DH time to get into therapy and possibly onto medication.  He is dysregulated almost every single day that he works.  I just hoped that if he were off for a period of time, he could start to heal without the wound being made fresh every day.  Does that make sense?

Special thanks to Ms. Kreger- I'll check out the other site.  Your book, "Stop Walking on Eggshells" has changed my life and my relationship with DH- for the better, although this BPD business is not for the faint-of-heart!  May God bless you in a special way today.

Blessings to all,

JDoe

[Randi Kreger]

Thanks, everyone.  I am familiar with the SS system from the work I do, and the abuse and misuse of the system.  That is not our goal, and we are looking into short-term-disability to give DH time to get into therapy and possibly onto medication.  He is dysregulated almost every single day that he works.  I just hoped that if he were off for a period of time, he could start to heal without the wound being made fresh every day.  Does that make sense?Special thanks to Ms. Kreger- I'll check out the other site.  Your book, "Stop Walking on Eggshells" has changed my life and my relationship with DH- for the better, although this BPD business is not for the faint-of-heart!  May God bless you in a special way today.Blessings to all,JDoe

Getting him on the right meds should be a priority. The best source for info on meds is by Robert Friedel, BPDDemystified.com. He just updated it--this stuff changes all the time. Randi Kreger Author, "The Essential Family Guide to Borderline Personality Disorder "

[harmony1]

I used to be a disability adjuster... we handled mental issues as well... even the doctors (the good ones) feel that working helps anyone with a disability... sitting around ruminating usually makes people worse

my two cents... I used to get happy mail from people all the time cause I would work out accomadtions cause they wanted to work... they felt useful

[peacebaby]

For my SO, getting on disability was necessary to take the intensitve DBT course she took--can't go to a program 5 days a week, 3 hours a day, for 6 months while working. Or afford to not work that long. Or afford the program itself without medicare/medicaid. So for my SO, getting these things was a life-saver and has allowed her to complete her program and get way more together so soon she'll be able to work full time and get off the disability.

Getting it was very hard, though their website now pretty much tells you how to go about getting it. Like I said in the other thread, disability can be something useful to help you get your life together. My SO kept getting fired 'cause of all the days she took off 'cause she was too symptomatic to work. However one does need something to do that's related to healing if one does get the disability--lying around all day while diagnosed as mentally ill doesn't help anyone.

Pecaebaby

[harmony1]

there is also no std provision with ssdi... its only ltd and thats if the doctor thinks (and the records support) the disability will render the person disabled fro doing any kind of work... with mental illness that pretty much means that unless he has been in and out of the hosp for a number of times in the past few years... or is getting chronically fired... and that isnt the case here as he has held a job for 20 years... chances are... he will be denied 

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[JDoe]

Thanks, PeaceBaby and Harmony!

  He probably will be denied, as he is a high-functioning BPD sufferer.  He's off for a time and will hopefully be able to take advantage of his disability insurance through his job, but they still may fire him for being off.  Whatever.  The job triggers his dysregulation almost every day so I am praising the Lord for him not being there.  We are blessed and God will see us through until DH can have some time to heal and figure out what he WANTS to do, not has to do.

God bless you all,

JDoe

[harmony1]

sorry but if he has a job... I would not be supportive in the disability thing

my dad... well he started out that way... could never handle much... it was always temp... but he managed to turn it into retiring early at age 45 and never ever going back... yet somehow he managed to keep my mom working... holding the insurance etc...

my hubby was unemployed once... did NOTHING... didnt even look for a job... surfed the net... no housework... nothing

my fil same thing... .went on wmc leave... stayed home long pat the time he should because of some reason or another...

not saying it will be that way for you... but these are people I have know... with way too supportive wives... who then well... werent supported later in life

I would keep him working

[TonyC]

my ex did... .and she even got the special parking tag... so she could piss away my money at the mall even faster... .

and no one followed up on her... .the check came every month... .

[JoannaK]

Many, many people do get disability if their BPD is severe enough to interfere with their ability to work consistently.  The Catch-22 about disability is that you generally have to be not working in order to get it.  A BPD who consistently gets fired would probably be able to get ssdi.  A BPD who somehow manages to hold onto his/her job probably wouldn't.  Age is also a factor... the closer you are to retirement age, the greater the chance of getting ssdi.

[JDoe]

Good to know, JoannaK.  DH was placed on a 4-6 week leave per the psychiatrist.  His employer sent him FMLA forms along with a threat that if he does not return by xx-xx-xxxx date, they will not hold his job.  Probably a blessing in disguise, as it frees him to find something that doesn't trigger him every day and he was too stubborn to quit, partly due to self-esteem issues.

God bless,

JDoe

[harmony1]

jdoe,

its not the job that is triggering him... its his illness... I hope you understand... even a low stress job... he may have issues with

been down this road... if he doesnt return to work... what will that do to your finances?  will you be ok?

[JDoe]

Thanks, Harmony!  It is/was a high-pressure, unpleasant job.  He worked on commission and the supervisors kept taking away his best accounts and giving him crappy ones.  He made 1/2 of what he made 3 years ago last year, thanks to their plotting.  The environment was constantly noisy- he recorded it once for me and I couldn't take it for more than 1-2 minutes.  There are 40 or more people in a big open room, no walls or dividers, all on the phone all the time, some of them raising their voices, with supervisors yelling for them to "get more promises! Get more payments!" 

I know that DH is mentally ill (And how!) but the environment would drive a sane person bonkers.  DH is also brilliant, but has been in a FOG at that job and needs to do something else.  We will have to trim the budget and maybe cancel our cable, but we will manage.  I have felt for 3 years that he was going to lose his job, but every time I consider it, I have such a peace in my heart that God would take care of us and perhaps has something planned for DH that he needs to be available to do.

I so much appreciate your input!

Love,

JDoe

[Cloudy Days]

I wasn't sure where to post this. My husband has had a spotty history with jobs his entire life. The longest he has kept a job is two years and he claimed the only reason he was able to do that is because he smoked marijuana the entire time. I have to say he seems like a much healthier person on Marijuana. But obviously that isn't the answer to his problems, it's a crutch like every other drug they like to use. Anyways, He has job hopped his entire life, He hasn't held a job for longer than 6 months while I have known him. He is a very low functioning borderline. He has a long history of phyciatric care but he doesn't usually stay with someone for very long. He has been out of work basically since 2008. We have applied for disability and was told that he needs a doctor that supports his case and was denied. We now have that doctor and he is getting DBT. We have applied again for disability and were denied again. We are now appealing with the help of a lawyer. He has also been diagnosed with Bipolar Disorder but the Borderline diagnosis is what is keeping him from keeping a job. He just cannot get along with people, he has either not shown up and gotten fired or he blows up on someone and gets fired for that, or a combination of all of the above. Has anyone had luck with getting approved for Disability. I am the only one working and it is the biggest strain on our relationship especially since it costs a lot for therapy. Any help would be appriciated, Thanks!

[JDoe]

Dear Cloudy Days,

  I had written this 2 1/2 years ago and lots of things have changed in my life.  Ex-H never did go back to work and did not do therapy or anything else constructive.  He became more abusive and I left about a year after writing this post. 

  In my work, I have seen folks get approved for mental illnesses, but it is a hard thing and they must have the backup of a doctor and a psychiatrist and oftentimes an attorney who specializes in getting people on disability.

  Best wishes to you!

JBro