Mental health disorders are known for being generally tricky to prove for Social Security disability benefits. Of these conditions, one of the most difficult to verify for the Social Security Administration (SSA) is borderline personality disorder. Many people who suffer from borderline personality disorder, often called BPD, do not frequently acknowledge their condition as problematic despite receiving a diagnosis from a treating physician. However, BPD can be so severe that it renders the individual unable to work. In these cases, someone with BPD may qualify for disability benefits.
What Is Borderline Personality Disorder?
BPD is a personality disorder identified by highly impulsive behaviors and significant emotional instability. People with BPD can demonstrate extreme personality changes in a short period of time. Other common symptoms include:
- Rapid changes in values and interests
- Fear of abandonment
- Intense and unstable relationships
- Antagonistic behavior
- Demonstrations of intense and inappropriate anger
- Short, often intense episodes of anxiety or depression
People who suffer from BPD often also suffer from bipolar disorder, depression, eating disorders, and/or anxiety disorders.
Is BPD a Disability?
Personality disorders like borderline personality disorder include a set of persistent, maladaptive, and disruptive characteristics. Aside from BPD, other personality disorders include schizoid, paranoid, dependent, and narcissistic, each with its own symptoms. BPD and other mental illnesses, including personality disorders, may be considered a disability if they are so severe they prevent a person from being able to work a job.
Does BPD Qualify for Disability?
To qualify for Social Security disability benefits for borderline personality disorder, you need to either meet the SSA’s Blue Book listing or demonstrate that your BPD makes it impossible for you to work. The latter is usually the result of uncontrolled, emotional outbursts that make it difficult for individuals with BPD to interact with others, which is a requirement for many jobs.
To meet the listing, you need a BPD diagnosis from your treating physician and be able to prove your condition exhibits at least one of the following symptoms:
- Detachment from social relationships
- Excessive emotionality and attention-seeking behavior
- Inappropriate suspiciousness or distrust of others
- Preoccupation with orderliness and perfectionism
- Feelings of inadequacy
- Excessive need to be taken care of
- Recurrent impulsive and aggressive behavioral outbursts
- Unstable personal relationships with impulsive or damaging behaviors
- Disregard for and violation of others’ rights
Additionally, you have to demonstrate an extreme limitation in one area or a severe limitation in two of the following areas:
- Adapting or managing yourself
- Concentrating on tasks
- Interacting with others
- Learning, understanding, or remembering information
How to Obtain Disability for Mental Illness
You’ll need a lot of medical evidence to receive disability for a mental illness like borderline personality disorder. To bolster your case, include doctor’s notes, statements from those who are close to you, evidence indicating how your BPD makes it difficult for you to work, and medical records such as mental status examinations, psychological testing, personality measures testing, and neuropsychology testing if applicable.