Avoidant Personality/Social Anxiety? SSI/SSD?!


Question:

Avoidant Personality/Social Anxiety? SSI/SSD?

I've been (finally) diagnosed with Avoidant Personality Disorder(ie, the more severe cousin of Social Anxiety). I can't work (I've tried - I've had 26 jobs over the last ten years, I just have to quit because my symptoms are so intense). Does anyone know if Social Security has ever approved anyone with an Axis II diagnosis (aka, personality disorder)? Should I even bother with applying again?
Also, I have major depressive disorder with psychotic features - however, my therapist says that because I can make appointments with her once per week, I'm "in remission" (which caused me to be denied for SSD the last 3 tries). She claims I can work if I can come to therapy, but depression and disabling paranoia/fear of people are two different things. Will the government recognize this?

Additional Details

1 week ago
The psychosis is auditory and visual hallucinations with paranoia (I often think people are out to hurt me - but with good reason, given my past).

The psychiatrist's input makes MUCH more sense in why I was denied (he and I were causal friends before I was randomly assigned to him, so he doesn't view me as ill). My therapist is an LCSW - probably why her opinion doesn't count as much as the psych's with SSD. I care deeply for my treatment team, since they've been through hell with me...however, they both believe I can (and will) recover eventually, and both have told me it'd be doing me a great disservice to label me as "disabled". It's nice they have faith in me/the recovery process/medications, however, until (and if) I recover, I'm finacially screwed. May need to find someone else to fill out the papers, I guess.

As for Axis III and VI, I honestly have no clue. Possible TBI to the frontal lobe, but that has yet to be medically verfied.
(Sorry this is so long. I'm new.)


Answers:

Well, now you have a co-existing Axis I and Axis II disorder (depression/psychosis, and personality disorder), _and _you need a competent psychiatrist. Did you have the same PMD when you applied for SSI/SSD before? If you did, that is probably why you didn't get it.
Network as best you are able and find a psychiatrist who will be in your corner on this- and incidentally one who recognizes just 'cause you aren't involuntarily committed doesn't mean you are in remission.
You probably already know- but it has to be a psychiatrist who speaks to your disability 'cause SS doesn't recognize any other psych discipline.
Did you go the lawyer route? Be prepared to do it again, just to be safe, because funding is getting scarcer and scarcer.
Good luck, and don't let the b@*&%rd's get you down.
BTW, if you qualify for SSD, don't you have something going for (or agaisnt you) in Axis III and IV ?




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