Often people claim disability for disorders that play a very real part of their life but they are denied benefits by their insurance company. In many cases this happens because proving such a disability exists is harder to do and it is decided that there is a lack of medical evidence. Two commonly denied disability claims are for anxiety and depression.
Anxiety
Anxiety is a general term for several disorders that cause nervousness, fear, apprehension, and worrying. These disorders affect how we feel and behave, and they can manifest real physical symptoms. Mild anxiety is vague and unsettling, while severe anxiety can be extremely debilitating, having a serious impact on daily life.
People often experience a general state of worry or fear before confronting something challenging such as a test, examination, recital, or interview. These feelings are easily justified and considered normal. Anxiety is considered a problem when symptoms interfere with a person’s ability to sleep or otherwise function. Generally speaking, anxiety occurs when a reaction is out of proportion with what might be normally expected in a situation.
Depression
Depression is often much more than feeling sad or despondent. Symptoms often include loss of self-esteem, feelings of uselessness, hopelessness, excessive guilt, slowed thinking, forgetfulness, difficulty concentrating, difficulty making decisions, loss of interest in work, fatigue, mood swings, oversleeping or insomnia, thoughts of death, dying or suicide.
Depression is a medical condition that affects one’s thoughts, feelings, physical health and behaviours. For diagnostic purposes, a depressive episode must be experienced at a certain level of severity for a minimum duration of two weeks.
Factors that increase the risk of developing or triggering depression include:
- Having relatives with depression
- Having traumatic experiences
- Experiencing stressful life events
- Having few friends or other personal relationships
- Abusing alcohol or drugs
Our disability claim lawyers have successfully resolved denied claims for both anxiety and depression by bringing forth the medical evidence required to prove the disability as defined under the policy.