Somatoform Pain Disorder - Rare Disorders Message Board

queli7 · 08-27-2003, 08:06 PM

is this a disability?

mharris · 09-03-2003, 10:07 PM

If you are asking about actual physical and mental symptoms of somatoform disorder then I can tell you that it can be devestating. If you are asking about it as an insurance issue(?) - I am considered fully disabled under my old employer's long term disability provision and also (later) with Social Security. My lawyer had never heard of it before (a couple of years ago) but the Social Security people had and moved it forward with surprising speed. Good luck.

queli7 · 09-05-2003, 08:19 AM

thanks

navy · 10-09-2003, 09:06 AM

Whether it is a disability or not depends on the intensity of the symptoms. I have various symptoms and now have begun to have panic attacks... It is best to have it evaluated by a psychologist or psychiatrist. Most people think that they are being labeled crazy. This is not true. Your pain is just continuing to occur despite the physical reason being less dibilitating than the pain. It is as if your brain is remembering the pain and can't forget. You are not crazy but disabled you may well be. The problem with this is that people keep going to medical doctors when the majority of the pain is increase for some psychological reason. The pain is REAL and no one really believes it is not it just seems that way.

[This message has been edited by navy (edited 10-09-2003).]