Many claimants seen by Evanston disability lawyers have difficulty talking about the emotional aspects of their disability. Many people feel like emotional problems and mental difficulties are not as serious or “real” as physical problems and do not deserve the same attention. However, we are ruled by our minds and emotional difficulties can have just as severe and debilitating effects as physical ones.
Dealing with Emotional Problems
It is common for people with serious long-term disabilities to develop concurrent emotional problems as well. People start to develop feelings of helplessness and inferiority due to their persistent struggles to maintain a normal and functional life. This can lead to a vicious cycle where the worse the physical pain gets, the more hopeless they feel about it and the less they are inclined to seek treatment or take steps to mitigate their pain. What’s worse, they feel like their emotional difficulties might be viewed as crazy or non-serious and so they don’t talk about them with anyone. When it comes to disability benefits, they might not think emotional problems are relevant at all. But your Evanston disability lawyers can tell you that emotional problems are important to talk about at your disability hearing because they relate directly to how your impairment affects your life and your ability to hold down a job.
Types of Emotional Problems
Emotional problems are not just feelings of sadness. There are other emotional problems that affect the ability to perform work, such as forgetfulness, nervousness, crying spells, and difficulty concentrating. Any of these might be signs of depression. If you have any such symptoms, it is probably worth bringing these up in your testimony to the judge so that you are able to convey the full extent of your impairment. The most direct link between a physical impairment and emotional problems is stress. Stress is a very powerful demotivator and can make otherwise strong-willed people feel helpless. If you feel stressed out at the thought of being criticized by supervisors or doing complex tasks, then your ability to handle stress clearly relates to your ability to perform work and is relevant to bring up.
Contact Evanston Disability Lawyers
For more information on testifying at your disability hearing, contact Evanston disability lawyers today.
