Getting disability for depression and anxiety can take months to over a year, depending on the system (like Australia's DSP or NDIS, or US Social Security), as it requires extensive medical evidence proving your condition is severe, long-term (likely >2 years), and stops you from working, often involving initial assessments, treatment programs, and potentially reviews, with the Australian Disability Support Pension (DSP) sometimes processing in 1-2 months initially but full assessment taking longer.
Simply stating that you are feeling unwell is not sufficient to qualify for Social Security Disability benefits. Instead, the SSA requires detailed and well-documented medical evidence to evaluate the severity and duration of your anxiety or depression accurately.
If you satisfy the test for any of the above, you qualify for a DSP without having to prove all the normal requirements. Centrelink should process the application within 1-2 months, although this can vary.
Personal Independent Payment (PIP) is a benefit you can claim if you need help with daily activities or getting around because of a mental health condition or physical disability.
Some of the mental health conditions which may be supported by the NDIS include, schizoid disorders such as schizophrenia, anxiety disorders such as post-traumatic stress disorder, obsessive compulsive disorder and agoraphobia, mood disorders such as bipolar disorder and depression.
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.
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.
Benefits Available for Anxiety and Depression Disability
The amount of benefits depends on your average earnings history before the onset of the disability. Federal law limits the maximum SSDI benefit payment. The maximum SSDI monthly benefits in 2025 are $4,018, but the maximum SSDI benefit amount changes annually.
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.
Proving mental disability: Strong evidence includes comprehensive medical records, consistent treatment history, psychological evaluations, and documentation of functional limitations in daily life and work.
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.
If you're eligible, we'll pay you from the date you submit your claim. We may be able to backdate your payment in some other circumstances. For example, we may pay you from the date of birth of the child if you submit your claim within 13 weeks.
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.
5 Things Not to Say in a Disability Interview
You can generally get disability for anxiety if your condition leaves you completely unable to work or unable to go through daily life on your own. However, the SSA has very strict criteria for who can get benefits because of anxiety or other mental health conditions.
When it comes to mental health conditions, depression is the most commonly approved mental illness for disability benefits. Major depressive disorder affects millions of Americans and can severely impair an individual's ability to function both socially and professionally.
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.
Examples of signs and symptoms include:
The benefits you may be entitled to include:
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.
People with clinical depression, also called major depressive disorder, often have difficulties at work. Common symptoms of depression include low mood, interest and motivation, low energy and fatigue, and poor concentration and memory, all of which can interfere with the ability to work.
Serious Mental Illness (SMI) refers to diagnosable mental, behavioral, or emotional disorders causing severe functional impairment, substantially limiting major life activities like work, relationships, or self-care, and includes conditions such as schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, and major depressive disorder, often presenting with symptoms like psychosis, severe mood changes, and disorganized behavior.
For as long as you need to get better. Some employees may need to take time off for treatment while others could just require a couple of days away from work. It's possible to return to work before a fit note runs out.
Your MHTP is initially for a maximum of six sessions. Your referring doctor will assess your progress after the first six sessions and determine whether further sessions are needed, then potentially refer you for a further four sessions to complete your allowance of ten sessions.