Disability

[x89rt]

Hello. I have bipolar type 2 and I'm considering disability, but I don't know much about it. Could you tell me about it?

[Peter Forster]

That sounds like a very good plan.

[x89rt]

thanks. i just started to to see a psychiatrist also so maybe he'll help, when he is more familiar with me of course.

[Peter Forster]

I agree that it would be difficult to get disability in your situation. Plus you would have to have support from your doctor. Since your psychologist has been helpful I would suggest that you work with him to come up with a simpler plan. Moods change for reasons of their own and what might have been possible a while ago may not be possible now, but that doesn't mean that you are back where you started, just that you are in a different phase of your mood disorder.

[sausii]

disability is harrrrrrrd to get on at your age...if your doctor ain't backing ya up, I don't know how you could win

[x89rt]

well, i dont have an employer. im 17, still living at home, and in the last grade of highschool (starting
monday). the problem is that i started with my psychologist back in around february and made slow progress but while it was slow, and there were bumps, i still made progress. i was doing pretty good during the end of the school year but recent events have brought me back to step one except that now, im not making any progress with him. im just not able to follow his recommendations. its not that i find them wrong or anything, infact i agree that they are what i should do but i just cant do them. so im back in the rut, also suffering from withdrawls due to my insurance not covering my anti depressant anymore, plus, like i mentioned earlier, school is about to start which, i have absolutely no doubt, wil make things worse. my insurance will run out when i turn 18 (end of january) and im afraid that i might not be better by then. they say i can be put under my mom's insurance (she works as a custodian in a middle school so she is in the school system) but i'm still worried so i'm exploring the disability option.

[Peter Forster]

Are you talking about short term disability through an employer or long term disability through the government? What is your situation? Why are you considering disability?

[x89rt]

Well, what other information would you need?

[Peter Forster]

I agree with lindahand that we need to know a bit more to reply.

[lindahand]

I don't know how much it would be. If it is through your employer it is usually around 70% of your wage although some go down to 60%. If it is social assistance I have no idea.

Tanya