Panic Attacks and Social Security Disability

A Panic Attack is a sudden, intense feeling of fear that triggers severe physical reactions such as pounding heart, dizziness, nausea, flushed feeling, and shortness of breath. Panic Attacks can be isolated events for some people or a frequent occurrence for others, and usually have no apparent cause. They are very frightening and can cause the affected person to believe they are dying from a heart attack or going crazy.

Often, people who have had more than one or two Panic Attacks begin to live in fear of these attacks. Sometimes they try to avoid any situation they may have found themselves in when they suffered a Panic Attack. In some cases this avoidance behavior is so extreme that sufferers feel unsafe anywhere outside of their home. When a person has suffered a series of four or more Panic Attacks, and if he or she has spent more than a month in constant fear of another Panic Attack, then that individual may be diagnosed as having Chronic Panic Disorder, a type of chronic anxiety disorder. An isolated Panic Attack may be a symptom of other types of anxiety disorders.

Panic Attacks can significantly affect a person’s quality of life. If left untreated, Panic Attacks and Chronic Panic Disorder can lead to phobias, depression, substance abuse, difficulty at work or school, and even suicidal thoughts and actions.

The causes of Panic Attacks are not known. Although there has been some research into the role of genetics, stress, trauma, brain chemistry and function, and a malfunction of the natural adrenaline rush produced by sudden danger, there is little conclusive proof of cause. Although a Panic Attack is generally non-life-threatening, seeking medical help during or after a Panic Attack is highly advisable as symptoms are similar to those of life-threatening conditions.

The more common physical symptoms of Panic Attacks are a rapid heart rate, trembling, hyperventilation, sweating, nausea, chest pain, dizziness, and shortness of breath. Besides intense fear, psychological symptoms include a sense of impending doom and belief that the sufferer is dying or has gone insane.

Panic Attacks almost always have a sudden onset, with no particular time or place consistently triggering an attack. Panic Attacks can happen in almost any situation, even while a patient is asleep. Most attacks peak within 15 minutes and last less than an hour, leaving most sufferers feeling physically and mentally depleted.

Examination by a doctor can determine if a patient is suffering from Panic Attacks, Chronic Panic Disorder, or another medical or psychological condition which feature Panic Attacks as a symptom (Thyroid malfunction, for example, can cause similar symptoms to Panic Attack or Chronic Panic Disorder). During diagnosis, a doctor will conduct a thorough physical exam, order laboratory tests and an electrocardiogram, and ask the patient questions about exhibited symptoms and life situation.

1. Have frequent Panic Attacks,
2. Be so worried for at least one month after the Panic Attack that you experience a significant change in your behavior, such as avoiding situations that might cause an attack, and
3. Have all other possible causes of Panic Attacks, such as an underlying medical or psychological condition, ruled out.

Treatment for Panic Attacks is usually, but not always, effective in reducing or eliminating symptoms. The main treatment options for Panic Attacks are medications, including antidepressants and mild sedatives, and psychotherapy, including behavior therapy, breathing and relaxation techniques, psychodynamic psychotherapy, nutritional supplements, support groups, dietary changes, and an increase in exercise and sound sleep.

Filing for Social Security Disability with a Panic Attack Diagnosis

Unfortunately, the Social Security Administration (SSA) does not have an independent listing for Panic Attacks in the Impairment Listing Manual, or “Blue Book,” used by state-run Disability Determination Services (DDS) to determine if a claimant is totally disabled. Instead, Panic Attacks are described as a symptom of anxiety disorder in general, and of a Chronic Panic Disorder in particular. Therefore, a claimant suffering from isolated Panic Attack symptoms is unlikely to meet the SSA’s requirements for Social Security Disability benefits.

As the SSA requires that a claimant’s condition be severe enough to keep them from achieving or maintaining any type of gainful employment in order to meet the eligibility requirements for disability benefits, applying on the basis of Chronic Panic Disorder will provide a much stronger foundation for a disability claim than applying based on symptoms of Panic Attacks alone.

The SSA discusses anxiety-related disorders under Section 12.00 of the Blue Book. The medical documentation required to file for disability due to a Chronic Panic Disorder is detailed under Section 12.00: Mental Disorders, Paragraph D: Documentation, Subparagraph 11: Anxiety disorders.

A claimant’s medical records must document in detail any anxiety reactions (which includes Panic Attacks), and should also include the nature of the reactions, their frequency and duration, the precipitating or exacerbating factors (or lack thereof), and the effect the panic attack has on your ability to function. If possible, the opinion of a qualified medical professional should be presented to corroborate the patient’s description of Panic Attacks and symptoms. If no doctor has observed your attacks, then the description of another first-hand observer can provide crucial support to your application for Social Security Disability benefits.

Section 12.06 of the Blue Book specifically lists the requirements for filing for disability benefits with an anxiety disorder diagnosis.

In order to meet the required level of severity for an anxiety disorder, a claimant must meet the requirements of both Paragraph A and Paragraph B below, OR must meet all the requirements of Paragraph A and Paragraph C below:

1. You must have medical documentation that shows at least one of the following:
2. Generalized persistent anxiety accompanied by three out of four of the following signs or symptoms:
   1. Motor tension; and/or
   2. Autonomic hyperactivity; and/or
   3. Apprehensive expectation; and/or
   4. Vigilance and scanning.

   OR

   1. A persistent irrational fear of a specific object, activity, or situation which results in a compelling desire to avoid the dreaded object, activity, or situation; or
   2. Recurrent severe Panic Attacks manifested by a sudden unpredictable onset of intense apprehension, fear, terror and sense of impending doom occurring on the average of at least once a week; or
   3. Recurrent obsessions or compulsions which are a source of marked distress; or
   4. Recurrent and intrusive recollections of a traumatic experience, which are a source of marked distress;

   AND

3. These symptoms must result in at least two of the following:
   1. Marked restriction of activities of daily living; and/or
   2. Marked difficulties in maintaining social functioning; and/or
   3. Marked difficulties in maintaining concentration, persistence, or pace; and/or
   4. Repeated episodes of decompensation, each of extended duration.

   OR

   5. Result in complete inability to function independently outside the area of one's home.

Your Panic Attack Disability Case

If you are disabled because of Panic Attacks so severe they prevent you from working, you may be entitled to Social Security Disability benefits. Total disability based on a Panic Attack diagnosis can be difficult, but if your symptoms are severe enough you may warrant disability benefits based on a diagnosis of Chronic Panic Disorder. With the assistance of medical professionals and a qualified Social Security disability attorney or advocate to present the appropriate documentation to support your disability claim in front of your local Disability Determination Services (DDS) can help to ensure that your Panic Attack disability case will have the highest possible chance of success.

To be fully healed and feel no more pain or suffering we have to give it enough focus to ascertain the roots thereof!

Today I am infinitely grateful for the blessings I received and I am now, in turn, to inspired to use my gifts to help and heal others!

...

BLUEPRINTS - THE METHOD I USE

I'll help you find a way out of suffering from Stress, Crisis, Loneliness, Burnout, Phobia, Conflict, Domestic Violence, Anxiety- and Panic Disorder, Body Illness, generally, whatever the case may be.

Blueprints One-By-One
Check Out The
Special Offers On Etsy
👇