Are mental disorders disabilities?

Question

Background: I have several mental issues (anxiety, depression, possible ADHD, some that at times have derailed me and other times do not impede me at all. I can mostly act ‘normal’ and have some coping mechanisms that I have made as subtle as possible (for example, background noise can amp up my anxiety as well as ruin my focus, so I often wear headphones and play music while doing work or mundane tasks, or I have a gratitude list and need regular downtime to manage depressive tendencies).
I sometimes dither on YouTube and I found a story compilation about disabled people and being treated properly, and several times severe anxiety and ADHD came up. I had never thought of what I have as a disability, and I was honestly surprised because I always thought that term was for physical problems and really extreme crossover issues, such as epilepsy. 
In a way, I guess it makes sense since it can also impact your abilities to do things/need certain accommodations. It just never occurred to me.

Accepted Answer

A mental health condition is considered a disability if it has a long-term effect on your normal day-to-day activity. This is defined under the Equality Act 2010.
Your condition is ‘long term’ if it lasts, or is likely to last, 12 months or more.
‘Normal day-to-day activity’ is defined as something you do regularly in a normal day. This includes things like using a computer, working set times or interacting with people.
There are many different types of mental health condition which can lead to a disability, including:
borderline personality disorder
dementia
depression
bipolar disorder
obsessive compulsive disorder
schizophrenia

Answer

Diagnosis does not equal disability. 
Here’s the definition, as per the ADA:
a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more major life activities, a person who has a history or record of such an impairment, or a person who is perceived by others as having such an impairment.
The key point there being that it substantially limits one or more major life activities. That’s what makes a diagnosis disabling.

Answer

The diagnosis criteria is pretty discriminatory when it comes to this, when it comes to actually getting disability pay if needed. 
All doctors I have talked to as well as a lot of therapists agree, if the mental illness or disorder impacts your life in such a way that you can not work or have a difficult time holding a job, yes it is a disability. As not all disabilities are physical or visible.

Answer

Only if it severely impairs you where you can’t live your life safely and responsibility. I have bipolar disorder but I still have my own place, a career, a child that I take care of properly. Someone who is out gambling and having unprotected sex and doing drugs, robbing stories, causing a severe disruption in other people’s lives and their own is a way more severe case of bipolar, which would probably warrant some intervention (usually hospitalization). There is a large percentage of the USA that have depression, anxiety, and ADHD and they can still function day to day

Answer

If it severely impairs your way of living.

Answer

They can be. I have bipolar I and it can be pretty debilitating. My cousin is on disability for his bipolar disorder, but not everyone with bipolar disorder or other mental health problems can meet the requirements for that.

Answer

Okay, so I feel like there are a lot of layers to this. However, I am going to come at it from my perspective as a therapist. 
To receive any diagnosis of any disorder in the DSM, a person’s functioning must be impacted by the symptoms. Obviously, there is a spectrum when we discuss severity of symptoms and such. Two bipolar individuals can look very different. Two clients with any mental illness can present differently. 
It has to be looked at on a case by case basis. It isn’t realistic to put every anxiety patient on disability. Even if they have panic attacks. If you can physically work, I believe you should. At least, do what you are capable of. A schizophrenic who is always having hallucinations despite attempts to manage the illness might struggle to find and maintain employment. They might truly not be able to work. It really has to be assessed case by case.
Also, you can definitely have a disability and BE on disability. I have a cousin on disability for Crohn’s. She has had literally zero issues with it for over 4 years. To me, that seems like fraud. I am epileptic. Have been for 29 years. I have always worked. Can it interfere with my work? Yes. Does it? Rarely. There are definitely epileptics that need to be on disability due to the fact their seizures cannot be controlled. 
I think it’s important to realize you are battling something, but labeling it a “disability” can be really negative. For example, I don’t consider myself disabled as an epileptic. However, I am epileptic and have been my whole life. Having this diagnosis qualified me for services with Vocational Rehabilitation, which helped me through graduate school. If you need resources and you have a qualifying “disability”, own it and get what you need. Never take more than you need through. 
For anxiety, depression, and ADHD...therapy and medication will go a long way. If someone attempted to collect a disability check for any of these disorders, I would be incredibly skeptical. There’s definitely a balance between recognizing and owning your struggles, and simply playing victim because of those struggles.

Answer

Imo it is only a disability if it impairs your life. So someone like me with mild to moderate anxiety disorder is mildly disabled whereas someone who is severely affected is disabled. Then there are those with really mild symptoms that can still have normal lives, they are not disabled imo. However I disagree with labeling myself as disabled bc I feel it makes it worse cause pity and all that.

Answer

It can be a disability if it is extreme enough.

Answer

Sometimes is the right answer. A lot of people have mental illness but isn’t debilitating and they can still function normally other people don’t.

Are mental disorders disabilities?

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