Well, first off, i'm hoping that you see a therapist or at least attend anxiety/depression support groups? Is your job very difficult in that you can't function in it?

i just applied for disability because i will not drive alone or go anywhere alone. i am waiting on the dicision but so far it looks good. they sent me for a mental exam to confirm. they also requested all my medical records to show i had been diagnosed with anxiety/panic disorder and graves disease. if they turn me down i will get a lawyer. my mom went through it and she won. then you get back paid for the wait.

Belle, i'm sorry that you have it so rough right now. good luck with the application for public assistance.

if you get turned down and have to work, perhaps you can find a nice easy, low stress job someplace. good luck to you. :)

I've lost several jobs also due to the anxiety. Good luck... Have you found relief from any meds?

Thanks for the posts. My job is where I would on production line so I have to be fast and keep up. It makes my heart race and that makes me lightheaded and starts the attacks. Once the line is set up, they fire you if you have to leave up to 3 times. I have already left twice. I guess I am scared that I will get fired yet again due to this disease.

Disability is there for a reason and I have some clients on it currently. The problem with it is, by going on disability it is allowing yourself to stay in the current situation. Not having to go to work, this gives you relief, but it does not help you manage the anxiety. Do I think you should not apply, no, but I have seen this too often with clients that they get further in the rut because they are not out doing and working, therefore, they have mroe time on their hands and the thoughts can take them away.
I would possibly try the Medical Leave Act before going for Full Disability, In my experience working with people with anxiety, the more you tell yourself you are disabled from anxiety, the more you become disabled. I know how debilitating anxiety is, I was there 5 years ago, but the worst thing I could have done for myself isto stop working and define myself as disabled. There are so many resources out there that can truly help eliminate the anxiety, but it requires the Want and desire to do so, commitment and willing to change. My point is this, Disability can be an easy way out, but it does not fix the problem. You all have the power within you to change your thoughts, reactions and actions surrounding anxiety.
I wish you all the best of luck and I hope you do think about what I said, I am not judging as I do nto do that, if you are really debilitated, by all means go for it, ut remember, that doesn't solve teh real problem!
Kristen

belle, i worked production similar to you several years ago. i did that for eight years. it made me a nervous wreck.

belle, your anxiety is directly caused by that type of work. it is not something that is wrong with you that needs to be fixed. i doubt if it is a disease in your case.

belle, may i suggest that you look for work that is not fast paced and boring. look for something that agrees with your constitution. maybe a salesperson in a bakery or a floral designer. something totally different and easy to you.

in my years in assembly, i noticed that some people were just types of people that the speed and monotony didn't phase them one bit. others got really stressed and run down. i sure learned my lesson after that to stay away from work that made me feel like a slave.

Anxiey and depression are both treatable conditions. It may take medications and several trial and errors to find the right one, along with counseling, but it can be controlled. By quitting your job and going on disability you are basically saying the anxiety won. Do you really want to live your life indoors, away from people, isolated? If you win disability - they WILL watch you. Thats a fact. My brother is on disabiltiy and his worker has photos of him at the shopping mall, at a car show and at a pharmacy and they are currently trying to take away his benefits by saying if he can go to these places, he can go to work. Also, you will be given an occupational test. They will determine if there are ANY jobs you can do, including answering phones from within your home. If they determine you can work enough hours to earn $665.00 a MONTH - you will not qualify. If you get it approved, be sure to keep your blinds closed while at home and dont go anywhere. If they see you, it proves you can funcion outside of the house and they will find a job that you can do.

i am in the same boat as you. i am 22, intelligent, have worked in the past but my panic attacs were just too bad. I have applied because my psychiatrist and I thought working right now is not a managable step. I applied for food stamps, which if you are eligible, you will get the money within like a week or so after you go there and fill out the application and see their social worker for like 5 minutes - the biggest pain is waiting for your turn. I am in the process of applying for SSI - I had not worked enough hours for Disability. It is a lot of paper work and getting doctors notes and is a little bit of an annoying process, but if you can't work right now, you can't work. White knuckiling yourslef through these panic attacks every day is not going to be good for you. Make sure you are seeing good psychiatrist and set goals with your doctor as of to when to go back to work, but don't push it. Money is important becasue we need it to live but it is not more important than your health. Get better first then go back to work - don't push to hard and good luck!

I applied for disability in 2006 and was denied. I have Hep C, Diabetes, High Blood Pressure, Scoliosis, 3 Herniated discs in my lumbar, and depression. I had to get a lawyer and appeal. I finally got it in 2008. Its not going to be easy, but dont give up. Good Luck To You.

I'm in the process of applying for disability. I don't qualify for SSI, but I have worked enough for disability. I've struggled with anxiety for 4 years, and I've struggled to keep working. In August I decided to go back to school instead and my health plummeted. Now I have dermatomyositis and the anxiety & depression problems. Between the two (or three) I have extreme fatigue. There's no way I could work right now.

I've heard that getting disability is a difficult process. And I'm still hoping that within a year or two I'll have my health back and not need it. But if I don't, the money from disability would really help! So, I'm going for it and hoping the process isn't too bad.

I wish you all the best of luck with your conditions. I was just recently diagnosed with GAD. While there are times that I feel I may die, getting out and staying active and letting my mind focus on somthing else is a key receptor for me. If I continue to tell myself that I am dibilitated by anxiety, then I tend to want to crawl farther into that hole if you understand what I mean.
Besst of luck to all of you but I think I need to side with kristen on this one. explore every other avenue before you permanantly disable yourself.

I am in that right now signing for dissability it's a pain in the beep.. LOL First you have to see doctors because that will make it easier for you to get dissability. You need a doctor that will back you up and get a lawer. You dont have to pay the lawer the get paid only if you get dissabilty..

beberlee

Thanks for the current replies. Since I first posted this I have lost 2 jobs. I have applied for disability and in the process been to a psychiatrist and regular doctor. Now I wait only to get denied because everyone says you get denied the first time but I attend to appeal with a lawyer. I am now being treat with borderline personality disorder also where I have anger issues. I was going to therapy but can no longer afford to. My marriage is over; but my husband and I are living together because I have no where to go and this makes me feel even more isolated and anxious but my kids keep me going. I have been on many different meds that made me gain weight so now I'm obese and very hard to diet with the panic and agoraphobia. I have good days and bad days; some suicidal days but I sleep through them and think of my kids. I cry all the time because I don't want to be termed disabled and I want to work. I want to volunteer but I get scared. I do help out my mom who is 75 as much as I can so that I don't feel completely helpless. Good Luck to all of you suffering and God Bless.

Belle, somewhere in this world, there are women who have walked in your shoes. Find them. Read about them. Find out what they did, what they learned, how they maneuvered through these kinds of things. There is always hope, Belle. There are always options and ideas to try and new ways to deal with the realities of life.

Good luck. :)