How can I qualify for disability benefits for schizophrenia?

To qualify for schizophrenia disability benefits from the Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI), an individual must be able to establish his inability to work or to earn substantial income from jobs he was previously able to do within the past fifteen years. His records must be able to show the existence of schizophrenic symptoms such as delusions, hallucinations, catatonic behaviors, and other grossly disorganized conduct.

To prove that an individual is in fact disabled due to the condition, he must show signs of at least two of the following indicators: being unable to perform day-to-day activities, inability to maintain concentration, failure to sustain social functioning, and lastly, repeated failure of defense mechanisms resulting from the mental disorder or what is called decompensation.

If a claimant’s application for benefits has been denied based on the abovementioned criteria, his medical records must then show that his disorder has been ongoing for no less than two years and has thus resulted to his inability to perform basic work activities. His medical history must also indicate that he suffers from extended periods of decompensation, which means that he is unable to live without outside support for a period no less than one year. To further approval, it is vital that doctors are the ones who documented, signed and approved his medical history in order to give credence to his claim that he is in fact not capable of providing for himself a normal standard of living. As such, it is important that all medical records are up to date.