Getting disability for depression is challenging but possible; it hinges on proving your condition is severe, long-lasting (usually 12+ months), and substantially limits your ability to work or perform daily activities, requiring extensive medical documentation, a formal diagnosis (like Major Depressive Disorder or Persistent Depressive Disorder), and proof of ongoing treatment that hasn't resolved your impairments. You'll need detailed evidence showing how depression interferes with focus, memory, social interaction, and daily functioning, beyond just feeling sad.
If you need time off to seek treatment or manage your depression, receiving unpaid leave or having the opportunity to use accumulated paid leave may be a reasonable accommodation.
Yes, depression can qualify for disability under the NDIS and for certain Centrelink payments. However, it's not just about having a diagnosis. The focus is on how depression impacts your daily life and ability to function.
In order to qualify for Social Security disability benefits for depression, you must experience at least five of the following:
It's hard to get on DSP for mental health . You at a minimum need to be properly diagnosed with support letters from qualified mental health professionals who have assessed you and seen you over a reasonable period of time. You also need to show that you have exhausted all treatment options.
Here are the Top Disabilities That Are Difficult To Prove
In Australia, automatic qualification for disability support (like the Disability Support Pension or NDIS) isn't about specific conditions but rather about meeting "manifest" criteria for severe, permanent, or terminal impairments, such as being permanently blind, having an IQ under 70, needing nursing home care, Category 4 HIV/AIDS, or a terminal illness with less than a two-year life expectancy. Otherwise, eligibility for income support (DSP) or NDIS funding depends on demonstrating the condition's permanence and its substantial, long-term impact on daily life and work capacity, requiring medical evidence.
For example, the average person who cannot work because of a physical or mental health condition receives $1,582 monthly in SSDI benefits in 2025. Disability benefits through SSI for depression and anxiety are not based on earnings. SSI is a means-based program that does not require a work history or earnings record.
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An acute change in mood that persists for weeks or is associated with thoughts of self-harm should not be ignored. In some cases, it may constitute an emergency. Depressed mood, whether from a major depressive episode, or in the context of another problem, can become an emergency when there are thoughts of suicide.
You must provide evidence of a mental health condition to access the NDIS, but the mental health condition does not have to be named. NDIS support is based on the impairment, or the impact of the mental health condition, rather than the diagnosis itself. to apply for the NDIS stating you have a mental health condition.
The VA rates depression at 100 percent disabling in very rare circumstances involving gross impairment of thought processes or communication, inappropriate behavior, and other factors. Otherwise, the VA will rate the condition from 0 to 70 percent disabling based on the severity and extent of the symptoms.
Getting the Right Treatment for Depression and Anxiety
As a rule, it is best to receive treatment from a mental health professional. Typically, these include a psychiatrist or psychologist. You may need to see a specialist to help prove that you can't work due to anxiety and depression.
The "5 R's of Depression" refer to key stages in the illness's course and treatment: Response (symptom improvement), Remission (few symptoms left), Recovery (sustained remission/symptom-free), Relapse (symptoms return before full recovery), and Recurrence (a new episode after full recovery). Understanding these stages helps track progress, prevent setbacks, and manage expectations in dealing with major depressive disorder, notes Psychology Today https://www.psychologytoday.com/au/blog/two-takes-on-depression/201103/depression-do you-know-all-your-rs and the Eisenberg Family Depression Center.
LEAVE FOR MENTAL HEALTH CONDITIONS UNDER THE FMLA
Eligible employees may take FMLA leave for their own serious health condition, or to care for a spouse, child, or parent because of a serious health condition. A serious health condition can include a mental health condition.
You can only be given medication after an initial 3-month period in either of the following situations: You consent to taking the medication. A SOAD confirms that you lack capacity. You haven't given consent, but a SOAD confirms that this treatment is appropriate to be given.
New evidence shows that people who maintain a range of healthy habits, from good sleep to physical activity to strong social connections, are significantly less likely to experience depression.
Information on your diagnosis, ideally from a psychiatrist or psychologist. Brain scans or other evidence of physical abnormalities that document an organic cause for symptoms, if applicable. Treatment records, documenting medications, therapy, and other management methods used and their effects.
A: Yes, Adult Disability Payment is for people with physical, mental health, sensory, cognitive or learning disabilities or long term health conditions.
To be diagnosed with depression, a person must have symptoms most of the day, nearly every day, for at least 2 weeks. One of the symptoms must be a depressed mood or a loss of interest or pleasure in most activities.
Arthritis and other musculoskeletal disabilities are the most commonly approved conditions for disability benefits. If you are unable to walk due to arthritis, or unable to perform dexterous movements like typing or writing, you will qualify.
To qualify for a Disability Support Pension, you must have 20 points. The 20 points can go under one table, or spread across more than one table. The Tribunal will look at the evidence you give and decide whether your medical conditions give you 20 points under one or more of the Impairment Tables.
You may be eligible for the NDIS if you have a psychosocial disability. Mental illness is considered a psychosocial disability if the mental illness is “significant” and makes it difficult to do everyday tasks such as going shopping, looking after yourself or working.