Disability Mental Exam??? - Disabilities Message Board

puppybreath · 12-06-2008, 11:11 PM

This is wierd. I've applied for SSD because I have Sjogrens and with that comes a great deal of pain and fatigue. Today I got a notice from them saying I must go to an appointment for a mental exam. I find this unusual because that's not the basis of my problem (or maybe it is & I just don't know it, lol). Do they do this sort of thing often? Does it mean they think it might be all in my head? Yikes! It's freaking me out. Anybody know what it may mean? Thanks so much for any feedback!

chicubs · 12-07-2008, 02:07 AM

Try not to worry. I was recently approved for SSDI in October of this year. And I too received a letter stating that they wanted me to see one of their doctors. I noticed in this letter that they sent me that this exam was a mental examination. I was like you wondering why I would need to have a mental examination. I have Reflex Sympathetic Dystrophy, but I know that on my application that I went into detail about how having this chronic condition was making me depressed. And that some days it hurt so badly that I didn't even want to get out of bed.
So I was thinking that perhaps they thought I was also crazy and that is why I need to see this doctor. Well, two weeks later I received another letter telling me that my doctor's appointment was canceled!
I never knew why it got canceled. But I thought that it was not good news for me to want them to cancel that appointment.
But as it turned out, it was good news because it was less than month later that I was approved.
So I'm not sure what the Social Security Office was thinking. If by chance yours would get canceled too, well then I wouldn't freak out. It may just be good news for you too. I wish all the luck in the world in getting your SSDI approved and also approved quickly.
Take Care,
Chris

puppybreath · 12-07-2008, 02:26 PM

Chris, thanks for the words of encouragement! By the way, I grew up in Whitefish Bay Wis. I miss the snow!

hugg724 · 12-07-2008, 11:53 PM

I posted this reply but it was moved to another thread with another poster so I will just copy it here:

I also had to have a "mental exam" because one of the secondary diagnosis that my pain doc wrote down was depression.

I thought well it would have been nice if they discussed the depression diagnosis with me. After living with chronic pain, our world completely changing, we aren't as active as we once were, can't work etc, who WOULDN'T be depressed? lol

I had to answer a series of questions and go through a little series of say the first thing that comes to mind after I say a word type things.

The doc said well I do think you have some depression which is entirely normal given your situation but I don't think you are "clinically depressed". Well DUH, ya think? lol

Don't stress over this if you receive the letter. It doesn't affect your case at all. There are no right or wrong answers to "prepare for". I personally found it to be nothing but a waste of my time and theirs, just like the medical exam the state did. That was a major joke too.

chicubs · 12-08-2008, 03:57 AM

Hi Puppybreath! I know exactly where Whitefish Bay is (at least I think I do)! lol! Lol!
I believe that it is one of the suburbs of Milwaukee isn't it? And that would be about one hour south of where I live in Fond du Lac, Wisconsin.
By the way you can have the snow. We already have a about five inches or so on the ground and now we are expecting close to a foot of heavy snow. This storm which is suppose to start early this afternoon will perhaps start with freezing rain. That's always nice, first the freezing rain and then a foot of snow. So when you shovel it is the crunchy heavy stuff. And "Stuff" really wasn't the word I was thinking

Chris