Testifying about emotional problems at your disability hearing

James Publishing

Physical problems are often accompanied by emotional problems

If you suffer from a serious physical problem, you may have developed additional emotional impairments. This is especially true if you have been suffering pain for a long time. It is surprising to find someone with a long-term physical problem who doesn’t also have some emotional problem.

Don’t be afraid to tell the judge about your emotional problems

Many people who suffer physical impairments are afraid to talk about the emotional component for fear they will be viewed as crazy. Having emotional problems doesn’t mean you’re crazy. It probably means you’re normal.

It is important for you to be willing and able to deIt is important for you to be willing and able to de-scribe your emotional problems to the judge at your disability hearing because it is often the emotional aspect of pain that interferes the most with your ability to work.

Common emotional problems

Common problems that can impair the ability to work include:

• Difficulty concentrating• Forgetfulness• Nervousness• A quick temper• Difficulty getting along with others• Avoiding other people• Avoiding other people• Crying spells• Depression

If you experience any of these problems, be sure to discuss them with your attorney who will prepare you to explain them to prepare you to explain them to the judge.

Stress

At your disability hearing, you may be asked how well you deal with stress. Different people find different things stressful. If the judge asks you about how well you deal with stress, be sure to tell the judge what sorts of things you find stressful, especially things at work.

Causes of stressSometimes claimants have trouble putting their fingers on exactly what it is about work that they find stressful. Here’s a list of examples of things some people find stressful in work:Meeting deadlinesCompleting job tasksWorking with othersDealing with the publicWorking quicklyTrying to work with precisionDoing complex tasksDoing complex tasks

Making decisionsWorking within a scheduleDealing with supervisorsBeing criticized by supervisorsSimply knowing that work is supervised

The monotony of routineGetting to work regularlyRemaining at work for a full dayFear of failure at work

Think about whether you find any of these things particularly stressful. If so, discuss them with your lawyer before your disability hearing.