Minnesota Mental Illness Disability Lawyer

Mental illness Disability Lawyer Minnesota

Disability Benefits Mental Illness

If you suffer from a mental disorder that prevent you from working you may be eligible for social security disability benefits.

Mental illness affects millions of people in the United States. Around one million adults in Minnesota have been diagnosed with mental illness. A Minnesota mental illness disability lawyer can help you through every step of the disability process from initial application through appeals if you are unable to work due to your mental disorder.

Mental disorders are common in the United States with an estimated 26.2 percent of adults (over 57 million people) suffering from a diagnosable mental illness in a given year. Around 6 percent of those suffer from a serious mental illness. Mental illness is the leading cause of disability in the U.S. for ages 15-44. Many people suffer from more than one mental disorder at a given time. In the U.S., mental disorders are diagnosed based on the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, fourth edition (DSM-IV). The following information and statistics are from the National Institute of Mental Health.

Mood Disorders

Mood disorders include bipolar disorder, major depressive disorder and dysthymic disorder.

• Approximately 21 million Adults in the United States, or around 9.5 percent of the American population age 18 and older in a given year, have a mood disorder.
• The median age of onset for mood disorders is 30 years.
• Depressive disorders are often accompanied by anxiety disorders and substance abuse.

Major Depressive Disorder

• Major Depressive Disorder is the principal cause of disability in the United States for people ages 15-44.
• Major depressive disorder affects approximately 14.8 million American adults, or around 6.7 percent of the adult U.S. population in a given year.
• Major depressive disorder can develop at any age, however the median age at onset is 32.
• Major depressive disorder is more commonly found in women than in men.

Dysthymic Disorder

• Symptoms of dysthymic disorder (chronic, mild depression) must persist for at least two years in adults (one year in children) to meet criteria for the diagnosis. Dysthymic disorder affects approximately 1.5 percent of the U.S. population age 18 and older in a given year. This figure translates to about 3.3 million American adults.
• The median age of onset of dysthymic disorder is 31.

Bipolar Disorder

• Bipolar disorder affects approximately 5.7 million American adults, or about 2.6 percent of the U.S. population age 18 and older in a given year.
• The median age of onset for bipolar disorders is 25 years.

Schizophrenia

• Approximately 2.4 million American adults (1.1 percent of adults) in a given year have diagnosable schizophrenia.
• Schizophrenia is found in men and women with equal frequency.
• Schizophrenia often first appears in men during their late teens or early twenties. The onset for women is generally in their twenties or early thirties.

Anxiety Disorders

Anxiety disorders encompass several different mental disorders including panic disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder, generalized anxiety disorder, and phobias (social phobia, agoraphobia, and specific phobia).

• Approximately 40 million U.S. adults (around 18.1 percent of people in this age group) in a given year, suffer from an anxiety disorder.
• Anxiety disorders frequently co-occur with depressive disorders or substance abuse.
• Many people with one anxiety disorder also have another anxiety disorder. Approximately three-quarters of people with an anxiety disorder will have their first episode by age 21.

Panic Disorder

• Approximately 6 million American adults (about 2.7 percent of people in this age group) in a given year, have a diagnosable panic disorder.
• Panic disorders usually develop in early adulthood (median age of onset is 24) however the onset age extends throughout adulthood.
• Around one third of people with panic disorder develops agoraphobia, a disorder where the individual becomes afraid of being in any place or environment where escape may be difficult or help unavailable in the event of a panic attack.

Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD)

• Approximately 2.2 million United States adults (about 1.0 percent of people in this age group) in a given year, have obsessive-compulsive disorder.
• The first symptoms of OCD often start during childhood or adolescence (median age of onset is 19).
Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)
• Approximately 7.7 million adult Americans (around 3.5 percent of people in this age group) in a given year, have post-traumatic stress disorder.
• PTSD can develop at any age, however the most current research shows the median age of onset is 23 years.
• About 19 percent of Vietnam veterans experienced PTSD at some point after the war. The disorder also frequently occurs after traumatic personal assaults such as rape, mugging, or domestic violence; terrorism; natural or human-caused disasters; and accidents.

Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD)

• Approximately 6.8 million American adults (3.1 percent of adults) have generalized anxiety disorder in a given year.
• GAD can begin at any time during a person’s life, but the median age of onset is 31 years old.

Social Phobia

• About 15 million American adults (around 6.8 percent of people in this age group) in a given year, suffer from social phobia.
• Social phobia typically starts in childhood or adolescence, usually around age 13 .

Agoraphobia

Agoraphobia is characterized by intense fear and anxiety of any situation or environment where escape might be difficult. This leads to avoidance of certain situations including being alone outside of the home; riding in a car, bus, or airplane; or being in a crowded area.

• Approximately 1.8 million U.S. adults (about 0.8 percent of people in this age group) in a given year, suffer from the effects of agoraphobia without a history of panic disorder.
• The median age of onset of agoraphobia is typically around age 20.

Specific Phobia

Specific phobia involves marked and persistent fear and avoidance of a specific object or situation.

• Approximately 19.2 million American adults (around 8.7 percent of people in this age group) in a given year, have some type of specific phobia.
• The onset of specific phobia is typically in childhood; the median age of onset is seven years.
Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)
• Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder is one of the most commonly found mental disorders in children and adolescents. ADHD also affects around 4.1 percent of adults ages 18-44 in a given year.
• ADHD symptoms typically become evident in preschool or early elementary years. The median age of onset of ADHD is seven years, however the disorder can continue into adolescence and sometimes into adulthood.

Autism

Autism is part of a category of disorders called autism spectrum disorders (ASDs), also known as pervasive developmental disorders. ASDs range in severity, with autism being the most serious and debilitating form.

• It is difficult to estimate the prevalence of autism because of the differences in the ways that cases are identified and defined, differences in study methods, and changes in diagnostic criteria.
• The onset of autism and other ASDs is usually in childhood and typically are diagnosed by age three.
• Autism is about four times more common in boys than girls. Girls with the autism, however, usually have more severe symptoms along with greater cognitive impairment.

Alzheimer’s Disease

• Alzheimer’s disease affects around 4.5 million people in the United States. The number of Americans diagnosed with Alzheimers has more than doubled since 980.
• AD is the most common cause of dementia among people age 65 and older.
• Increasing age is the greatest risk factor for Alzheimer’s. In the majority of people diagnosed with Alzheimer’s, symptoms begin to appear after age 65. One in 10 people over age 65 and nearly 50 percent of those over 85 are affected by Alzheimer’s.
• From the time of diagnosis, individuals with Alzheimer’s survive around half as long as similarly aged people without dementia.

A Fields Law mental illness disability lawyer will assist you in getting the medical records and supporting documentation you need to provide Social Security with evidence of your mental illness disability. If you are unable to work because of mental illness we can help you apply for disability benefits. If you have been denied disability benefits we can appeal your case.

We offer a Free case review. Our Minnesota mental illness disability lawyers understand how frustrating it is to have mental illness and be denied disability benefits when you are unable to work. There are never any fees unless we win your disability case.