Disability from GAD, OCD, Panic Disorder

[Chronic911]

I am not quite sure where I should post this. I am in the USA. I lost my job of over 20 years 2 years ago due to my GAD, OCD, and panic plus I went thru benzo w/d after valium pooped out on me after 3 years of use. I was on xanax for 8 years prior and then klonopin for 9 years but all the drugs quit on me after a number of years due to tolerance and I went thru hell each time and also have spent time in a mental hospital. I am on longterm disability. I had this insurance with my employer but I don't have a lotta faith in insurance companies. They want the premiums paid but don't wanna pay when you file a claim and they always want updates from the doctor because they are always looking for a way to cancel you if they can IMO. I am currently seeing a psychologist who filled out the paperwork for me when I filed. My question is is anyone else here on LTD due to an inability to work? I have also filed for SSDI which is required by my LTD company. Is anyone else on disability due to an inability to work from a mental disorder? I'd like to talk to you if you are. TIA for any replies.

[guitarpants]

Well the problem with this is that GAD, depression, even panic disorder are not really considered long term conditions per se. I don't know your full situation so I don't want to seem insensitive, but it seems you should be focused more on recovery than getting LTD. You CAN recover. Benzos are not a solution. I don't know why your doctor would put you on so many, for so long. They won't fix the problem. In most cases, even yours, it makes the problem worse in the long term.

[Chronic911]

Well the problem with this is that GAD, depression, even panic disorder are not really considered long term conditions per se. I don't know your full situation so I don't want to seem insensitive, but it seems you should be focused more on recovery than getting LTD. You CAN recover. Benzos are not a solution. I don't know why your doctor would put you on so many, for so long. They won't fix the problem. In most cases, even yours, it makes the problem worse in the long term.I agree. Benzos do not cure anything in the longterm and the withdrawal from xanax and klonopin is beyond brutal. If you think your anxiety is bad, try to w/d from a drug like klonopin after you have bathed your brain cells in it for years. Hell is not a strong enough word for what you go thru after you have taken benzos for years. My nervous system is literally wrecked. I lost my job of over 20 years and I am too old to try to start over. I will stay on the LTD as long as i can b/c I need the money to survive now. Who is going to hire someone 50 years old with a history of mental disorders..no-one. I will always try to recover but I have been stuck for over 2 years now in this mind hell and I don't appear to be getting any better.

[guitarpants]

Yeah I hear ya. I believe you about the withdrawal too. I'm on temporary assistance right now myself. It will probably be a long road, but you shouldn't give up yet, keep your sights set on recovery. At the very least you should find a doctor and mental health professional to help you through this and with the insurance company. The insurance company will also be more willing to help you if your doctors can attest to the fact that you're receiving treatment. What they do not want to see is a request for disability without an intent to improve. That makes it look like malingering to them.

[Chronic911]

Yeah I hear ya. I believe you about the withdrawal too. I'm on temporary assistance right now myself. It will probably be a long road, but you shouldn't give up yet, keep your sights set on recovery. At the very least you should find a doctor and mental health professional to help you through this and with the insurance company. The insurance company will also be more willing to help you if your doctors can attest to the fact that you're receiving treatment. What they do not want to see is a request for disability without an intent to improve. That makes it look like malingering to them.I agree with what you have said. Are you on LTD yourself right now? What kinds of mental stuff do you have going on in your life? If you have never taken benzos, don't start. Trust me on this one my friend. I sometimes wonder if all the drugs I have been on over the years have caused some kind of permanent damage to my brain and CNS. I met a guy in a mental hospital years ago who suffered from both akathisia and tardive dyskinesia and both of these things are permanent disorders caused by longterm psychiatric neuroleptic drugs. Anxiety disorders are bad but sometimes the drugs do permanent damage that nothing will ever fix. You simply have to live with it until you die. There are some good psychiatrists but the majority are a joke IMO. They simply want to put you on drugs, talk to you for 5 minutes, and then push you out the door. It is nothing but one big money racket. They should all be put out of business.