Dare To Ask Talk And News About Our Differences - This topic has 15 replies, 16 voices, and was last updated 19 years, 1 month ago by
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- Why are so many young people filing for disability benefits for simple cases of depression? Do they think that just because they may have a disease that sometimes can be out of control that they don't have to work anymore? I live with bipolar disorder and still go to school, work and am a good wife to my husband. Why can't people deal with this disorder? As long as you are properly medicated, you can live a normal life.
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Name : Randi M., Gender : F, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Disability : Bipolar Disorder/Epilesy, Race : White/Caucasian, Religion : Methodist, Age : 26, City : Flint, State : MI Country : United States, Occupation : Student, Education level : 2 Years of College, Social class : Lower middle class,I have epilepsy and grand mal seizures that are under control by medication (I am very lucky), so most of the time I forget to list my disability, and I identify with what you are saying. I also used anti-depressants once to get me over a hump in my life. I understand you do have a medical condition, so please do not misinterpret my question that follows as a personal attack on you in any way - but I ask you (and this, of course, is also my answer to your question), why are people convinced they are entitled to eternal euphoria without having to work for it? Why do people think that if they sit in front of the television all day and do nothing actively to make themselves happy and they are depressed, there is something medically wrong, and that they automatically need a pill to fix it, instead of taking action? I would like to add that I am thrilled to see someone with a true medical disorder doing her part to fix the disorder herself, also - I do not think you would be doing as well if you just sat around and let the medication do the work all by itself.User Detail :
Name : Jessica, Gender : F, Sexual Orientation : Bisexual, Race : White/Caucasian, Religion : Agnostic, Age : 23, City : Huntsville, State : TX Country : United States, Occupation : Student, Education level : 4 Years of College, Social class : Middle class,Let me start by saying that there are a lot of people who do go on disability because they genuinely deserve it. However, there are more and more people jumping on the disability bandwagon just to make quick and easy money. I work at a gambling establishment that will remain un-named. Like all other gambling establishments, it is a place that attracts people trying to make a quick buck, both customers and employees. I see more and more people getting hired, only to claim an injury as soon as they qualify. A lot of them 'milk' this injury as long as possible, then quit or get fired when the company catches on to them. These are mostly young people, but occasionally the odd person close to retirement will do it, too. I think kids are growing up seeing adults take advantage of the system, and decide 'me too.'Unfortunately we are living in a time with more and more frivolous lawsuits and phoney insurance/benefits claims. What's the incentive to work when you can get paid to stay at home? A lot of young people are used to having mommy or daddy pay their way through life. When it comes time to make their own money, they don't want to work. They'd rather live off of the taxpayers' money instead, so they fake claims, file frivolous lawsuits like 'I'm addicted to fast-food' just to make easy money. Unfortunately, this gives people who really do deserve disability a bad reputation.
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Name : Taz27448, Gender : M, Age : 32, City : Detroit, State : MI Country : United States, Social class : Middle class,Not everyone responds well to medication. Worse yet, not everyone can afford medication. For many people, the only way they can afford the medication they need to function is to be classified as unable to function.User Detail :
Name : JerryS, Gender : M, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : White/Caucasian, Religion : Jewish, Age : 52, City : New Britain, State : CT Country : United States, Education level : 4 Years of College, Social class : Upper middle class,It is a gross oversimplification of some complex problems to say that 'if you are properly medicated then you can lead a normal life'. If Ms. Flint finds that with medication she can still hold down a normal job, then all credit to her, but for a lot of people it may not be as simple as that. I am at present on incapacity benefit. I have had problems with stress and depression in the past. I am not on medication (except for asthma). I am legitimately doing part-time work within the limits allowed while claiming incapacity benefit, and I do have hopes of getting myself back into normal employment, but this is proving a lot easier said than done, although I am getting a lot of help from an employment agency.User Detail :
Name : Campbell McGregor, Gender : M, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Disability : asperger's syndrome, Race : White/Caucasian, Religion : Atheist, Age : 43, City : Glasgow, State : NA Country : United Kingdom, Occupation : school crossing patroller, Education level : 4 Years of College,Why, you ask? Because with disability, a disability check cometh in the mail. I work in the health care system, and you would not believe the number of people who are 'disabled' and the nature of their 'disabilities.' There are many souls who are disabled and deserve benefits, but there seems to be an equal number who have scammed, embellished, faked and lied outright to get that check. I know of an entire family of which every member is receiving disability benefits. Kinda nice to spend Monday afternoon tinkering with your motorcycle instead of going to work.Equally amazing are the numbers of civil servants and military personnel who do the job assigned to them right up until the bitter end, then as they retire are suddenly 100 percent disabled. What a way to get out of paying taxes. These are the same types of people who send mail without a stamp. "Return to sender," but the sender puts the address where he wants the mail sent in the RETURN address spot. Yeah. The world is full of people who want to be spoon-fed.
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Name : John29289, Gender : M, Race : White/Caucasian, Age : 48, City : Hamilton, State : OH Country : United States, Occupation : Health care worker, Education level : Technical School, Social class : Middle class,I am happy you were lucky enough to manage without disability aid. However, you cannot judge every person getting disability to be in the same manageable circumstance as you. There are levels of severity to everything in life, and in order to get such benefits, a person must go through a very rigorous amount of exams, questions, tons of paperwork and documentation and diagnostic determination by physicians, SSI inerviewers, etc. They do not just give it to you like welfare. I should know; I receive this help, and I do not feel like a freeloader because I have worked and put money into the tax pool when I was able to work, and I do so whenever I buy something that has a sales tax.So, before you try to judge or second-guess someone or their circumstance, you may just want to check your basis in facts.
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Name : Me21912, Disability : Clinical Depression, City : Anytown, State : NA Country : United States, Education level : 2 Years of College,Do you know how hard it is to even find a job right now????? And if you do manage to fight your way thru the numerous other overqualified applicants, do you know how hard it is to keep a job? Its a daily fight to be perfect and never have someone complain about your work. On top of this, our 'compassionate' president wants to eliminate overtime pay. If I could collect disability, you're damn right I would.User Detail :
Name : Alma, Gender : F, Sexual Orientation : Lesbian, Race : White/Caucasian, Religion : Methodist, Age : 50, City : Kempner, State : TX Country : United States, Education level : 4 Years of College, Social class : Lower middle class,About a year ago my cousin (in her early 20s) filed for disability because her parents wanted her to. She's an only child, and I think they were worried she wouldn't be able to take care of herself after they were gone (which should be a ways off). Anyway, she filed, and I think that was a real setback for her. The good news, though, is that I thik it was also a reality check for her, that she realized she was going nowhere and that no one was going to be there for her but herself. Now she's really taking responsibility for her health - eating well, exercising, cultivating her spirit - she's doing great, and even thinking about college.User Detail :
Name : Michelle20579, Gender : F, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : White/Caucasian, Religion : Christian, Age : 25, City : San Diego, State : CA Country : United States, Occupation : Research Associate, Education level : 4 Years of College, Social class : Upper middle class,You refer to this disability as 'simple.' I have been depressed all my life. It wasn't until I was well into adulthood (late 20's) that I finally received professional help. I am creative and have an IQ well above what is considered average, yet my depression is so severe that without medication and therapy I find it all I can do to simply drag myself out of bed most days. I've lost most of my life to this 'simple' disease. I've suffered from fatigue, apathy, procrastination, debilitating headaches, poor memory, anxiety, low self-esteem, mood swings, inability to concentrate and suicidal thoughts. When I was younger I attempted suicide twice. When I failed, it just seemed to validate my opinion that I was worthless because I couldn't even do THAT right. I also have Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD). I'm extremely sensitive to changes in the weather. You ask, 'Why can't people deal with this disorder?' It's not my place to judge you, but I'm willing to bet your depression is or was a simple case. Or you were very lucky to find the proper medication fairly quickly. Not everyone is so fortunate. I can't even tell you how many different meds I've tried. I have suffered headaches, weight gain, loss of interest in sex, even mild hallucinations from some of the meds I've been on. Occasionally, I'll find one that works...for about a month, before I develop a sort of tolerance for it and have to try a different dosage and then finally a different medication altogether. It is a vicious cycle. I start to feel 'normal,' then I crash and feel even worse. I've tried therapy sessions. I've begged my psychiatrist to try 'shock' therapy. I also am a good wife, and a good mother to three beautiful, healthy children who happen to be gifted and talented. I thank God I don't have to work, because I cannot do it. By the way, I'm not on disability. I'm finally beginning to feel 'normal'. I'm taking high doses of three different meds. I'll have to take medication for the rest of my life. I'm glad you are able to function well and lead a normal life. But your self-righteousness is insulting. Your 'deal with it' attitude sounds like something I've come to expect from a person who has never lived with depression, who has never felt worthless and alone, who has never known despair, who has never wanted to just end the misery. Believe it or not, for some people depression really is incapacitating.User Detail :
Name : Marie, Gender : F, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : White/Caucasian, Age : 36, City : Jeffersonville, State : IN Country : United States, Social class : Upper middle class,I have Seasonal Affective Disorder, too. After trying medicines and therapy and having both fail, I decided to take matters into my own hands. I did quite a bit of research... it turns out that the original though of treating the seratonin imbalance in seasonally affected patients doesn't work very well b/c the underlying cause is that you body's 'biological clock' malfunctions. As daylight decreases, the body releases a chemical (melatonin, I think) that lowers the body temperature and prepares the body and mind for sleep. As daylight increases, the chemical is taken up or is dissolved, or in some other way is reduced (it's been a while since I looked this stuff up, so I'm a bit rusty), thus producing 'wakefulness'. I reduce the lighting around me about an hour and a half before bedtime, which gets my body to release melatonin. For the mornings, I bought an artificial dawn simulator; it hooks into the lamp by my bedside and will gradually increase the light emitted by the lamp until it reaches 'sunrise'. I also stay away from any mood altering substances like alcohol, tobacco products, caffeine, and pseudo-ephedrine (in cold medicines). Most of my symptoms completely disappeared after only a week or so; the rest are mild enough to be tolerated without interfering in my life (like menstrual cramps, I suppose). I struggled for every winter through my adolescence and into adulthood, but the last three winters (the ones I've used the light therapy and made those minor alterations to my diet) have been very easy to deal with. You may want to talk you your physician about trying this while reducing your meds to see if you can treat the SAD without them or with only one of them.User Detail :
Name : Jocelyn, Gender : F, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : White/Caucasian, Religion : Taoist, Age : 26, City : Roanoke, State : VA Country : United States, Occupation : artist, Education level : 2 Years of College, Social class : Middle class,I agree. I have type 1 diabetes and ananxiety disorder, but you don't seen me trying to suck money from the government. I think to qualify for disability there should be stricter guidelines.User Detail :
Name : Vannessamariah24522, Gender : F, Age : 20, City : Fredericksburg, State : VA Country : United States,I find it unfortunate that people with SIMPLE cases of depression would file for disability; but my personal experience has shown me that depression is rarely simple. I was diagnosed with major depression at age 15, after living with it since 12 yrs. old. I attempted suicide 3 times, was in therapy for seven years, and have been on 11 different medications. My experience appears to be very similar to Tiaira's as far as incapacity goes. I have always been in school or working, but I've also been reprimanded and fired for depression-related problems, nearly didn't graduate high school, and had to drop out of college the first time. Medication is pretty much hit-or-miss and that can drain out a lot of time, all the while still unable to get out of bed. It's pretty hard to maintain a job or keep up with school when you are having complete meltdowns for weeks, months, or years at a time. Also not to be overlooked is that the medication is very expensive, and if you are going from job to job, you most likely don't have insurance and certainly can't afford the medicine; disability checks could help you maintain some sanity with meds. What I wish is that employers could deal with this disorder; but it's counter-productive and highly misunderstood. I am not on disability,I am doing well in school,and working part-time,but I also have a lot of support from my family,and not everyone has that.User Detail :
Name : Kelly, Gender : F, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Disability : Major depression/SAD, Race : White/Caucasian, Religion : Methodist, Age : 24, City : Oshkosh, State : WI Country : United States, Occupation : Student/Bartender, Education level : 2 Years of College, Social class : Lower middle class,I'm 22 and I have been battling severe depression since I was 16. I am still able work full time and go to school full time. I have no respect for people with depression who dont work or go to school.User Detail :
Name : Christy, Gender : F, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : american, Religion : Agnostic, Age : 22, City : jacksonville, State : FL Country : United States, Occupation : starving college student, Education level : 2 Years of College, Social class : Lower middle class,Not all cases of Clinical/Major depression are 'simple cases.' Meds for Bipolar Disorder typically work much better than meds for Clinical/Major Depression. The side effects are much less as well. I've been able to live my life-go to school full time, work a full and part time job-while suffering through Major Depression. But I have also gone through months where I cannot leave my bed, or when able to leave bed can certainly not leave my apartment. I didn't file for social security, because I knew that wouldn't help me. I think you need to realize that there are varying degrees of Bipolar Disorder as well as Major/Clinical Depression. People with severe forms of either should not be forced to try and handle a job.User Detail :
Name : Sara, Gender : F, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : White/Caucasian, Religion : Atheist, Age : 27, City : Scranton, State : PA Country : United States, Education level : Over 4 Years of College, Social class : Middle class,
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