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deleted1100659
just thought it was interesting since if you qualify as disabled you may be eligible for student loan discharge; ive started seeing more of this lately from patients. anyone else experience this?
since the student loan changes, ive had more people try to get disability status ive noticed...
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Give any group of people a significant financial incentive to appear ill/disabled/etc, and you will see a sizable portion of people pursue that option, regardless of the presence of said condition. Just look at the VA.
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I thought it was always like that. But you have be permanently disabled right? That's a high bar
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I actually just got my first request for this today. It's from a patient I know very well and I'm most likely going to sign the form. If anyone shows up wanting it on the first visit or three the answer is going to be my usual 'no, I don't know you well enough'.
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deleted1100659
in fairness, the guy that asked for it yesterday likely would be a good canidate, he does appear to have a primary psychotic disorder (only saw him for two f/us and didnt do the intake), but yeah im just wondering if this will become an icnreasing trend. At my facility, roughly like 1/3 or more of my patients are already trying to get disability as it is, lol, you see some interesting things...patients will limp into my office, and then their gait magically fixes itself on the way out
Outside of severe psychotic disorders...I'm not sure who else this would apply to for us. Also, if you actually do make money, they're going to reinstate the debt. This looks pointless for most people to even malinger.
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Unless you've treated very different patient populations, I'm sure you can think of a few patients who show up and tell you they're on SSDI for their "bipolar" but seem perfectly capable of working. And I'm talking the ones who aren't "bipolar" as code for ultra severe borderline.
The last psychiatrist also wrote a really good piece on psychiatric "disability" but unfortunately I think that was one of the ones he took down from his site when he got doxxed. I'll see if I can find it (I think I had saved it or found it on wayback.)
Oh I could see people ASKING for disability for bipolar disorder. In fact, I think that website above lists it. I'm just saying that it shouldn't apply in this situation. Actual bipolar disorder is almost definitionally extremely treatable.
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Agreed, just saying that not everyone runs into such conscientious psychiatrists.
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I've posted this before, but a huge issue with employment in people with disabilities, especially psychiatric and developmental disabilities, isn't actually the ability to do the essential functions of the job but the soft skills associated with work (getting along with bosses, coworkers and customers, showing up on time, being appropriate, following workplace social norms, etc). So, while a lot of people with these conditions may technically be able to work, many of them may really struggle to actually keep a job.
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I would point out that bipolar depression in particular can be difficult to treat or treatment resistant. Depression as we know can be very disabling. Some of the treatment regimens can also be highly sedating and have other side effects.
People also are frequently not well versed in the govt definitions pertaining to disability. For example, if one were expected to have I believe 2 days a month where without planning or notice they could miss work due to their disability, this would not be considered to be employable. This is how for example people with migraines that cannot be adequately controlled are found disabled.
This is also similar if they have issues getting along with others, ADLs, hygiene, and more, attributable to whatever disease process.
Now, that same person could perhaps start their own business and find a way to make money. And then they won't qualify to receive payments depending on what they make. But that doesn't mean they are determined to be "employable" in the national marketplace.
All this to say, that it would depend on the particulars of the whole person and how they are affected, what prior education/skills they have, etc, for these determinations to be made.
Just because the physician can imagine there is some sort of job in the world or self employment someone could have, doesn't mean they don't meet entitlement criteria.
We would do well to just evaluate patients and their symptoms, and let the drawn out two and half year legal system that wants to deny them, sort it out. We're not lawyers.
