PTSD, Social Security Disability, and Applying for Benefits

For more information on: Social Security Disability and SSI Disability.

Post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is just as the name implies: a stress disorder that develops after a highly traumatic event, whether the event is physical or psychological. In the past it has also been called post-traumatic stress syndrome, war neurosis or shell shock and is an anxiety disorder due to trauma. While it is common that post traumatic stress disorder affects servicemen or servicewomen who have been exposed to combat, it is also common due to childhood abuse, physical violence, sexual assault or any other act that may be perceived as life-threatening and traumatic, such as a fire, earthquake, hurricane or another catastrophic event.

Post traumatic stress disorder happens when the psyche has been shocked and traumatized so badly that it is unable to cope. This is unlike simple shock, depression or stress, in the fact that the body and brain chemistry actually change with post traumatic stress disorder. Those with the disorder usually show a high level of catecholamine and a low level of cortisol in their urine and a decrease in the volume of their hippocampus, a part of the frontal lobe of the brain that is also damaged during Alzheimer’s disease.

The criteria for post traumatic stress disorder is exposure to a traumatic event at some point in one’s life, flashbacks or nightmares related to the event, extreme fear of the event reoccurring, being significantly impaired in normal daily activities, avoidance, feeling hyper (sleeplessness, anxiety, anger) and having these symptoms for more than one month.

Treatment for post traumatic stress disorder can involve counseling, cognitive-behavioral therapy, psychotherapy, antidepressant drugs, antipsychotic medications, or a combination of one or more of these treatments. Also, sometimes Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) helps to reduce the effect of traumatic events.

Post traumatic stress disorder is a real illness and treatment can help. Many people live very productive lives with a variation of treatments.

Studies are still being done to find out if post traumatic stress disorder is also genetic.

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Individual Questions and Answers

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SSD and SSI are Federal Programs

The title II Social Security Disability and title 16 SSI Disability programs operate under federal guidelines and, therefore, the program requirements--medical and non-medical--apply to all states:

Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Indiana, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia, Wisconsin, Wyoming

Recent approval and denial statistics for various states can be viewed here:

Social Security Disability, SSI Approval and Denial Statistics by state

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