Mental Health and Social Security Disability
Mental disorders that can limit understanding, concentration, social interaction, or adapting to change at work.
Mental disorders can prevent reliable work even when a person can complete a short interview or a single good day. Social Security looks at understanding and memory, concentration and persistence, interacting with others, and adapting or managing oneself.
Adult Listing 12.00 organizes mental impairments into categories such as depressive and bipolar disorders (12.04), anxiety and obsessive-compulsive disorders (12.06), schizophrenia spectrum (12.03), autism spectrum (12.10), and trauma- and stressor-related disorders (12.15). Listings typically require medical documentation of the disorder plus marked or extreme limitation in the paragraph B areas — or paragraph C criteria for some listings.
A diagnosis is not enough. Treatment notes over time, psychological testing when used, and evidence of how symptoms appear in daily life and prior jobs usually decide these claims. Many people who do not meet a listing still qualify if their residual functional capacity rules out past work and other work.
Browse the mental-health guides below, or return to the Disability Conditions Center.
Official SSA resource: Listing 12.00 — Mental Disorders
Mental Health condition guides
- Major Depressive Disorder
Persistent depressive symptoms may be evaluated under Listing 12.04. A diagnosis does not guarantee benefits; SSA also examines severity, duration, and work-related function.
- Anxiety Disorders
Anxiety disorders may be evaluated under Listing 12.06 when medical documentation and the required paragraph B or C criteria are present.
- Bipolar Disorder
Bipolar disorders are evaluated under Listing 12.04, but diagnosis or hospitalization alone does not establish that all listing or RFC requirements are met.
- Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder
PTSD is evaluated under Listing 12.15. SSA requires medical documentation plus the required paragraph B or C criteria, not trauma exposure alone.
- Schizophrenia
Schizophrenia is evaluated under Listing 12.03. SSA considers psychotic symptoms, negative symptoms, disorganization, longitudinal support, and work function.
- Autism Spectrum Disorder
Adult autism is evaluated under Listing 12.10, which requires paragraph A medical documentation and paragraph B functional severity. It has no paragraph C route.
- Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder
OCD is evaluated under Listing 12.06. SSA considers medically documented obsessions or compulsions and their effects on mental functioning and sustained work.
- Panic Disorder
Panic disorder has no separate listing number. SSA evaluates it within Listing 12.06 for anxiety and obsessive-compulsive disorders.
- Fibromyalgia
A medically determinable impairment under SSR 12-2p when diagnostic criteria are documented. There is no fibromyalgia listing.
- Traumatic Brain Injury
Brain damage caused by external trauma. SSA may evaluate persistent physical and mental effects under Listing 11.18 and cognitive findings under Listing 12.02 when appropriate.
Speak with a Social Security Disability attorney
Brock & Stout can review a Social Security Disability claim, look for missing medical evidence, and discuss next steps. We do not charge a fee for SSD representation unless we win.
This page is general educational information about Social Security Disability as of the date of this publication. It is not legal or medical advice, does not create an attorney-client relationship, and does not guarantee results. Eligibility depends on individual facts and current Social Security rules.
