Has your mental health disability insurance claim been denied? Fields Law can help you determine your legal options.

Mental health disabilities can refer to mental health conditions such as depression, anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), bipolar disorder, and other conditions that can significantly affect a person’s ability to function at work.

These conditions can make it difficult to cope with everyday life, but because there is so much variation in the types of mental health conditions, a diagnosis of a specific disorder alone isn’t typically enough to qualify for work disability benefits.

A claimant must be able to demonstrate to their insurer through medical and other evidence that their condition prevents them from performing their work duties under the policy’s definition of disability.

Cervical radiculopathy refers to nerve issues affecting the neck, while lumbar radiculopathy affects the lower back. Cervical radiculopathy is often referred to as a pinched nerve in the neck, while lumbar radiculopathy commonly causes sciatica, a radiating pain down the leg.

These nerve issues can stem from a few different causes, including herniated spinal discs, bone spurs, and degenerative disc disease. Symptoms are often closely related to conditions like spinal stenosis or spondylolisthesis, or they can appear as a result of a physical injury or a post-surgical complication.

Different mental health conditions have different symptoms that can impact a person’s ability to work. Some of the most common conditions are:

Anxiety

An anxiety disorder is characterized by worry or fear that goes beyond ordinary worry to the point that it interferes with a person’s daily life. People who experience an anxiety disorder may be unable to concentrate, complete tasks, or face difficulty making decisions at work. They may also experience fatigue, sleep disruption, panic attacks, and difficulty interacting with coworkers or customers.

Bipolar Disorder

Bipolar disorder involves episodes of significant changes in mood, energy, activity levels, and behavior, including manic, hypomanic, and depressive episodes. Symptoms can affect a person’s concentration, judgment, decision-making, sleep, energy, and their ability to perform consistently at work.

Depression

Individuals with depression experience prolonged or persistent sadness, feelings of worthlessness, or hopelessness. They may experience low energy, changes in sleep and appetite, loss of interest or pleasure in activities, and difficulty making decisions. People with depression may also experience irritability and thoughts of death or suicide.

PTSD

When an individual experiences or witnesses an extremely traumatic event, they can develop post-traumatic stress disorder. Symptoms include intrusive thoughts, flashbacks, or nightmares. They may also experience avoidance of trauma-related reminders, negative mood changes, and irritability.

Mental health disabilities can have varying effects on a person’s ability to work that are dependent on the specific type of mental condition they have.

A common way a mental health disorder can affect a person’s ability to work is by making it difficult to concentrate. A person suffering from depression or anxiety may find it extremely hard to pay attention during meetings, remember instructions, or complete work tasks.

Decision-making is also regularly impacted by mental health conditions. Individuals may find it hard to evaluate choices, make judgments, or respond to unexpected problems.

Conditions like anxiety and depression can also impact a person’s productivity at work. They may face fatigue, insomnia, and panic that make it difficult to carry out a normal workload or meet deadlines.

Mental health issues can also cause a person to miss work without warning, experience panic attacks at work, or have trouble interacting effectively with coworkers, clients, or customers.