One of the most difficult disabling conditions to prove is depression or anxiety. Disability insurance providers often challenge these claims because there is no objective test that can prove someone is depressed. People diagnosed with depression usually look normal on the exterior; however, their ability to function and perform in a work environment with reasonable continuity is severely limited. In a disability claim, the insurance company will rely on a hired psychologist or psychiatrist to determine if the claimant has restrictions and limitations caused by depression or anxiety. Often, a claimant’s treating psychologist or psychiatrist will not take thorough notes, and the insurance company will state that the claimant’s doctor has not documented any restrictions or limitations. We have handled thousands of disability claims dealing with depression and anxiety. Let’s talk about how our experience can help you.
We also see disability companies argue: “If your depression was so debilitating, why were you not hospitalized?” The disability carriers will sometimes arrange for the claimant to submit to a two-day neuropsychological examination and another exam with a forensic psychiatrist. In 8 out 10 times, these hired guns will decide that the claimant is not disabled and can return to work. The neuropsychological testing is also used be insurance companies in an effort to prove malingering or exaggeration of symptoms. It is important to hire a law firm that has experience in dealing with neuropsychological testing and depression disability claims. Claimants need to be aware that most ERISA governed disability policies and many individual disability policies will limit mental nervous claims to two years of benefits only. In many of our cases, if a person has an physically disabling condition, then we will attempt to prove that the depression or anxiety is secondary to the physical condition. This argument can allow a disability claim to extend beyond two years.
Our Experience with Disability Insurance Claim for Depression and Anxiety
Our disability insurance lawyers have recovered benefits for hundreds of claimants with depression or anxiety. Here are some examples of our resolved cases for claimants with depression or anxiety:
- Unum issues disability insurance benefits to currency trader suffering from depression and chronic fatigue
- $800,000 lump-sum disability settlement for attorney with depression
- Liberty Mutual reverses decision to terminate disability benefits
- Former government bond trader and 9-11 survivor receives more than $1M in long-term disability benefits
- Unum Provident and Monarch Life Insurance Company pay total disability to dentist
Our Lawyers Handle Depression Claims Daily
Depression is one of the most common psychological problems for a short or long term disability claim. One in six Americans has been diagnosed with depression. Depression is a chronic medical illness that does not just affect the mind but also the body, affecting how you think, feel and behave. There are several distinct types of depression including:
- Major Depressive disorder
- Dysthymic disorder
- Manic depression
- Atypical depression
- Chronic depression
- Double depression
- Endogenous depression
- Situational depression or Reactive depression
- Agitated depression
- Psychotic depression
- Melancholic depression
- Catatonic depression
- Post-partum depression
Depression is rarely an isolated condition. People with depression often suffer from other conditions, injuries, illnesses or disabilities, including heart disease, diabetes, Parkinson’s, HIV/AIDS and cancer.
Symptoms of Claimants Seeking Disability as a Result of Depression
People suffering from depression may exhibit some of the following symptoms:
- Loss of interest in a normal activities
- Persistent feeling of sadness
- Insomnia
- Significant weight loss or gain
- Suicidal thoughts and behavior
- Slowed thinking
- Indecisiveness
- Distractibility
- Decreased concentration
- Fatigue
- Loss of energy
These symptoms make even the smallest tasks seem overwhelming. Workers suffering from depression could be entitled to benefits if their condition makes working a regular schedule impossible.
If you have more questions about receiving benefits for your depression, contact our disability insurance lawyers for a free consultation. Schedule a free consultation with us, and we will give you an assessment of your best options. We handle cases in all 50 states.
The following resources provide additional information about depression and anxiety:
- National Institute of Mental Health
- NARSAD The Brain & Behavior Research Fund
- NAMI National Alliance On Mental Illness
- American Foundation For Suicide Prevention
- Mental Health America
For updates about depression and disability insurance, check this page for news. We provide a feed of information that could be relevant to your benefits.
Recently Resolved Cases (37)
- Cigna Finally Approves Claim for LTD Benefits for Former Nurse Employed at Hollywood Presbyterian Medical Center
- Liberty Reinstates Long Term Disability Benefits for the Second Time
- Senior Global Tax Director for Billion Dollar Worldwide Industrial Company is Again Receiving Disability Benefits from MetLife After Appeal by Attorney Alexander Palamara
- After Appeal Filed by Attorney Alexander Palamara, Cigna Overturns its Previous Denial of Long Term Disability Benefits for Retail Clerk Suffering from Bipolar Disorder and Chronic Pain
- CIGNA overturned previous denial of both long term disability benefits for Massachusetts IT Procurement Specialist
- CIGNA overturned its previous denial of both short term and long term disability benefits for Michigan Senior Personal banker
- After appeal filed by Attorney Jay Symonds, Prudential overturned its previous denial of long term disability benefits for Pennsylvania Corporate Training Coordinator
- Cigna Overturns Denial Following Dell & Schaefer Appeal
- Long Term Disability Appeal Victory Against Cigna for Cardiac Cath Technician
- After appeal filed by Attorney Jay Symonds, Mutual of Omaha overturned its previous denial of short term disability benefits for Colorado Senior Manager
- Dell & Schaefer Successfully Appeals Denial Of Benefits To Former Excel Energy Employee
- After sending claimant to a psychiatric IME, Reliance Standard realizes its decision to deny benefits was incorrect
- Dell & Schaefer ERISA Administrative Appeal Successful: Claimant suffering from Sleep Disorders, Depression and Fibromyalgia Now Receiving Long Term Disability Benefits
- Prudential overturns denial of Long Term Disability Benefits for Vietnam War Veteran after Lawyers from Dell & Schaefer file appeal
- Prudential Overturns Denial of Long Term Disability Benefits to College Professor
- Benefits Reinstated: Dell & Schaefer Successfully Appeals Cigna’s Decision to Deny Benefits for MetroPCS Wireless Employee with HIV
- MetLife Removes 24 Month Limitation for Mental Health Condition for Financial Advisor
- Lincoln Financial Overturns Denial of ERISA Long Term Disability Claim for Dell & Schaefer Client, But There Is A Catch
- Cigna Reverses Long Term Disability Denial And Admits Denying Benefits To Attorney Stricken With Parkinson’s Was Wrong
- A Liberty Life Disability Benefit Denial is Reversed after ERISA Appeal filed by Attorney Alex Palamara of Dell & Schaefer
- Cigna Overturns Denial of LTD Disability Benefits to Off Shore Oil Rigger Suffering From Post Traumatic Stress Disorder
- Cigna Overturns Denial of Disability Insurance Benefits for IT Consultant Suffering from Physical and Mental Conditions
- Aetna Reinstates Short and Long Term Disability Benefits on Appeal to Warehouse Manager Suffering from Major Depression
- Cigna Reverses Disability Denial And Admits Its Decision To Deny Benefits To Attorney Stricken With Parkinson’s Was Wrong
- CIGNA Overturns Its Decision to Deny Continued Disability Benefits for Former Employee of Science Applications International Corporation
- Unum Approves Disability Benefits Beyond 24 Month Mental Health Limitation
- UNUM Insurance Company reverses disability insurance denial for CFO/VP of Finance
- Unum issues disability insurance benefits to currency trader suffering from depression and chronic fatigue
- $800,000 lump-sum disability settlement for attorney with depression
- Executive assistant recieves confidential settlement from USAA Life for long-term disability policy
- Former government bond trader and 9-11 survivor receives more than one million dollars in long-term disability benefits
- Prudential reverses denial on second appeal & pays $175,000 in past due disability benefits to OBGYN
- Psychiatrist receives $340,000 long-term disability insurance buyout
- Real estate agent recieves lump sum settlement from Unum Provident after appeal is filed
- Unum Provident and Monarch Life Insurance Company pay total disability to dentist
- Liberty Mutual reverses denial of short-term disability benefits and approves long-term disability benefits for advertising account manager 24
- Jefferson Pilot’s denial of long-term disability benefits to a quality control manager is reversed 2
Cases & Claim Tips (82)
- Court Finds Irregularities in Procter & Gamble Long Term Disability Benefit Denial
- Court Upholds Sedgwick’s Denial of Benefits for Claimant with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome 1
- Reliance Termination of Benefits Is Upheld When Evidence Was Conflicting
- Can UNUM Deny LTD Benefits When Plaintiff Proves Eligibility by a Preponderance of the Evidence?
- Programmer Denied LTD Benefits by MetLife Upheld by Court
- Liberty Wrongfully Denies Long Term Disability Benefit Depression Claim Based on Filed Review
- Michigan Court Finds Plaintiff Eligible for Long Term Disability Benefits
- Florida Court Upholds Hancock’s Termination of Long Term Care Benefits
- Unum Denial of Disability to Claimant with Lyme Disease Remanded by Washington ERISA Judge
- If I Have Physical and Mental Disabling Conditions Will My Disability Benefit Be Subject to a Limited Pay Period? 2
- Court Remands Sun Life to Consider Social Security’s Decision to Award Plaintiff Disability Benefits
- Disability Denial Remanded to Anthem for Analysis of Claimant’s Job Duties
- Cigna’s Disability Denial Of Woman With Chronic Pain and Depression Reversed And Not Subject to Mental Nervous Limitation
- Does the Mental Nervous Disorder Limitation in an ERISA Long Term Disability Plan Violate ADA Laws?
- Discretionary Clause in Boeing’s Long-term Disability Plan Found to Be Legal, Despite California Statute Banning Discretionary Clauses
- Do Not Sleep on Your Rights to Disability Benefits 4
- Pennsylvania Court Awards Long Term Disability Benefits To Claimant, Finds Aetna Abused Discretion By Failing To Consider Self-Reported Symptoms
- Missouri Court Awards Full Disability Benefits in Mental Nervous Condition Case Against Hartford
- A Claimants View of a Standard Insurance Company Disability Benefit Claim 4
- Court rules Cigna cannot use 24 month mental health limitation to deny disability benefits 4
- Johnson & Johnson Employee with Depression Denied Disability Benefits After Definition Change 2
- Eastman Chemical Company Employee Loses Lawsuit Against MetLife for Disability Benefits
- North Carolina Court Determines That Sedgwick Abused Their Discretion And Wrongfully Denied Disability Benefits For BellSouth Employee 2
- Pennsylvania Court Awards STD Benefits And $27,000 In Attorneys’ Fees To Phlebotomist
- Microsoft Employee Sues Prudential For Wrongful Denial Of Long-Term Disability Benefits
- Asurion Employee Files Lawsuit Against Life Insurance Company Of North America For Wrongful Termination Of Long-Term Disability Benefits
- Lincoln Financial Disability Denial: Determining a Date of Disability is Critical
- Wells Fargo disability claimants in Alabama and Florida file lawsuits against Liberty Life Assurance Company of Boston for unpaid long term disability benefits
- Texas claimant takes Reliastar to task for denied disability benefits
- Electrical assembly worker for Northrop Grumman files a complaint against UNUM for denial of long term disability benefits
- CIGNA under fire in Minnesota Federal Court for termination of claimant’s disability benefits
- Aetna Life Insurance Company sued by Bank of America and Huhtamaki employees for failing to provide ERISA benefits
- 5 disability lawsuits recently filed against UNUM in TN, OH, MO, and MI 21
- CIGNA denies disability claim and gets sued by neurologist 1
- Two Yellow Book employees sue Liberty Life Assurance Company of Boston for failing to pay ERISA disability benefits
- UnitedHealth Group, Inc. Recruiting Manager suffering from depression and anxiety denied benefits 4
- Delta Air Lines Customer Service employee files lawsuit against Sedgwick Claims Management Services, Inc. for denial of disability benefits 45
- Life Insurance Company of North America sued under ERISA in three different cases for denial to pay disability benefits 5
- Disability attorney sues Aetna Life Insurance for failure to pay short term disability benefits to Huhtamaki Americas employee 14
- Court of Appeals, Seventh Circuit ruled Unum Life Insurance Company Of America is prevented from using Self-Reported Symptoms Limitation Clause to discontinue long term disability benefits payments for woman with fibromyalgia 2
- Is it legal to limit disability insurance benefits to 24 months for mental nervous claims? 19
- Oregon Judge orders Standard Insurance Company to pay disability insurance benefits beyond the 24 month mental disorder limitation 4
- Federal Judge orders Sedgwick Claims Management to pay disability benefits to PNC Financial Services Group, Inc’s Collection/Recovery Team Manager 4
- Office medical specialist suffering with fibromyalgia and CFS hires Arizona Disability Attorney to sue CIGNA for denial of disability benefits 2
- 30 year veteran employee of 3M Company sues company and Sedgwick Insurance for disability benefit denial 1
- Court stops UNUM from denying disability benefits based on the plan’s “Self-Reported Symptoms Limitation” 5
- Prudential terminates disability benefits of traumatic brain injury claimant in a case of mistaken identity
- Washington disability attorney filed lawsuit against the Hartford Insurance Company for denial of long term disability benefits to mentally disabled woman 8
- Nevada disability lawyer and COX Enterprises Inc’s customer service rep sue AETNA Life Insurance Company for denial of disability benefits
- Prudential Insurance pays disability benefits for 12 years to former Prudential employee then denies claim
- Liberty Mutual denies disability benefits for depression despite two hospitalizations by claimant 4
- AETNA Life Insurance Company ordered by West Virginia Federal Judge to reevaluate denial of disability benefits to Bristol-Myers Squibb Manager
- CUNA Mutual terminates disability benefits to woman suffering from depression and lyme disease 6
- Disability benefits lawsuit against Fortis Benefits Insurance Company dismissed by West Virginia Federal Court 6
- Federal Court provides 5 reasons CIGNA wrongfully denied disability benefits to man suffering from chronic fatigue syndrome
- CIGNA/LINA sued for denying waiver of life insurance premium to caretaker of disabled and mentally challenged adults 6
- Disability lawsuit against MetLife alleges insurance company refuses to pay disabled claimant 15
- Life Insurance Company of North America, part of CIGNA Corporation, sued for refusing disability insurance benefits for mentally ill teacher 3
- Hartford Financial’s mental nervous disorder limitation clause in disability insurance policy held ambiguous
- MetLife denies benefits to stockbroker disabled by depression, yet Pennsylvania Federal Judge awards disability benefits
- American United Life Insurance disability denial reversed for woman with fibromyalgia, depression and migraines 4
- Aetna refuses video recording of IME and threatens to deny disability benefits unless claimant agrees to sign IME doctor’s authorization form
- Sun Life disability insurance benefit denial is reversed after 8 years
- Prudential wrongfully denies disability insurance benefits to man with fibromyalgia
- Disability Claimant’s Inability to Pass Employer’s Mandatory Drug Test Policy Due to Pain Medications Results in Award of Disability Benefits
- Reliance Standard limits disability insurance benefits to 24 months for mental nervous disorder, despite claimant’s diagnosis of multiple sclerosis
- Liberty Mutual and Wachovia interpret migraine headaches to be psychiatric and not disabling (Part I)
- Appellate Court finds Wachovia and Liberty Mutual’s review of objective evidence of disabling migraine headaches was unreasonable (Part II)
- MetLife denies chronic fatigue syndrome long term disability claim
- New York court rules that MetLife abused discretion when it denied chronic fatigue claim (Part II)
- Unum denies disability benefits to a Minnesota legal secretary with pre-existing condition
- LINA (CIGNA) denies long-term disability benefits to yellowbook Account Executive
- Long-term disability claim against Provident almost lost because of untimely appeals
- Reliance Standard makes disability claimant take them to court twice in 5 years
- Federal judge reverses MetLife’s denial of long-term disability benefits to a senior project manager suffering from back pain
- Jefferson Pilot ordered to pay disability benefits to clinical director suffering from fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue and depression
- Dentist sues disability insurance carrier, third party administrator and allegedly independent medical examiner as a result of their conspiracy and bad faith actions to wrongfully deny disability benefits
- Prudential Insurance Company’s denial of short-term disability benefits to attorney is reversed
- U.S. judge orders Broadspire to reinstate a former bank employee’s disability benefits
- Continental Insurance Company ordered to pay long-term disability benefits to bank employee
- What you should look for in a denial letter: disability insurance company’s inadequate denial letter causes court to reinstates insured’s disability benefits
- ERISA Plaintiff granted disability benefits from Prudential for depression and anxiety
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