Bipolar Disorder and Long Term Disability

You or a loved one struggling with bipolar disorder? Learn how long term disability benefits can protect your income and help you focus on recovery.

What Is Bipolar Disorder?

Bipolar disorder is a serious mental illness characterized by extreme mood, energy, activity level, and functioning alterations in everyday life. There are dramatic shifts from major depression to mania or hypomania.

Symptoms for most with bipolar disorder are debilitating and impact occupational functioning, executive function, and cognitive function, making it difficult or even impossible to maintain steady employment.

Despite ongoing stigmatization of mental illness, bipolar disorder is recognized by insurance providers, the Social Security Administration, and the Canada Revenue Agency as a disabling condition that can render someone eligible for long-term disability benefits, the Disability Tax Credit, or even Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) in the United States.

What Are the Different Types of Bipolar Disorder?

Understanding the different subtypes is beneficial in both healthcare diagnosis and disability claim management. Each presents with different challenges and functional impairments:

Bipolar I Disorder

Characterized by at least one manic episode for a minimum of seven days or by hospitalization.

Major depressive episodes can be included in episodes. This condition is typically the most severe and is usually accompanied by prolonged impairment and poor concentration, which can help in presenting a claim for long-term disability.

Bipolar II Disorder

Defined by recurring episodes of depression and hypomania, a milder expression of mania that does not require hospitalization.

Often misconceived as less severe, bipolar II disorder is just as disabling due to interminable depressive symptoms, executive functioning deficits, and job loss.

Cyclothymic Disorder (Cyclothymia)

This is a milder form of bipolar disorder that involves cycles of alternate hypomania and depression over a two-year period (one year in children).

Although milder, cyclothymic disorder can still result in severe interference with daily life and work.

Can People With Bipolar Work

Yes, bipolar disorder qualifies for both short-term and long-term disability benefits if your symptoms significantly impair your ability to work and function.

To receive disability benefits, you’ll need to meet the strict criteria set by your insurance policy, government programs like SSDI or Supplemental Security Income (SSI), or the Disability Tax Credit in Canada.

Disability insurers and adjudicators will assess how bipolar disorder makes it difficult to:

• Maintain consistent work attendance.
• Maintain relationships with other workers and members of their family.
• Be coordinated and work-oriented.
• Avoid manic episodes, severe depression, or hypomania.
• Avoid drug abuse (most common among bipolar disorder individuals).

Symptoms Most Likely to Support a Claim for Disability

• Severe depressive or maniac states for extended periods of time,
• Cognitive functioning in the form of distractibility or impaired decision-making,
• Intrusive rate of speech, irritability, and impulsivity,
• Sleep disturbances, agitation, or risk-taking,
• Mood and emotional lability, interfering with work,
• Incapacity to work without hospitalization or proper treatment.

These symptoms have to be ongoing, medically documented, and inhibit your capacity to work for an extended period.

How Bipolar Disorder Affect Daily Life

Adjustment to living with bipolar disorder can significantly affect daily life, including:

• Unpredictable energy levels and mood swings
• Sleep disruption during manic or depressive episodes
• Thought problems, including impaired memory or executive dysfunction
• Dysfunctional relationships with family, friends, and colleagues
• Difficulty managing responsibilities such as parenting, bill payment, or self-care
• Severe risk of drug abuse or hospitalization if left untreated

These difficulties can make simple tasks seem daunting and contribute to serious restrictions in daily activities. In the event that the disease is not well-managed, it may be taken to be an extreme mental illness that affects work and social functioning.

Is Bipolar Disorder Considered a Disability in Canada?

Yes. Bipolar disorder is recognized as a disability in Canada under both:

• Private long-term disability insurance programs
• The Canada Pension Plan Disability (CPP-D) program
• Disability Tax Credit (DTC) of the Canada Revenue Agency

To be eligible as a disabling medical condition, symptoms need to be persistent and severe, and significantly interfere with your ability to work or perform simple daily tasks.

The Canadian Human Rights Act also identifies bipolar disorder as a mental illness protected from discrimination, so employers have to make reasonable accommodations where they can. But qualifying for benefits usually requires a lot of medical history illustrating how your symptoms impact your functioning.

How Do I Prove My Disability Due to Bipolar Disorder?

Obtaining long term disability benefits with bipolar disorder is a lengthy and typically intimidating experience.

Because bipolar disorder is an all-encompassing mental illness that touches on nearly every aspect of day-to-day functioning, cognitive functioning, mood stability, and occupational functioning, it’s imperative that you conscientiously and appropriately present your claim in a way that will increase your chances of approval.

Critical Steps to Make a Claim for Long Term Disability Benefits:

Notify Your Employer and Insurer Early

As soon as you realize the signs of bipolar disorder, such as mood extremes, manic or depressive phases, are impairing your ability to work, notify your employer and the insurer handling your long term disability policy. Early notification provides for a timely scheme and prevents delays.

Gather Detailed Medical Records

Your file must include comprehensive reports from licensed health care providers, such as therapists and psychiatrists, confirming your diagnosis (i.e., I bipolar disorder, II bipolar disorder, or cyclothymic disorder) and documenting your treatment history.

These reports must indicate the way in which your condition largely restricts or prolongs your impairment in performing job activities or sustaining daily routines. Progress and hospitalization update are also required.

Complete the Disability Claim Forms Carefully

Insurance companies request that you complete certain claim forms asking you questions regarding your medical condition, occupational history, and activities of daily living.

Answer honestly and carefully detailing how bipolar illness affects your ability to concentrate, your mood, interactions with co-workers, and stress tolerance. Do not minimize your symptoms.

Complete Your Claim with All Supporting Documents

After your forms and medical records are collected, send your claim to your insurer or plan administrator. Make copies of every document and keep a record of your interactions with the insurance company.

Regularly Follow Up and Monitor Your Claim

Insurance companies will hold up or deny claims because of technicalities in procedure or lack of evidence. Staying in touch by following up puts your claim on the right track and allows you to respond instantly to requests for additional information.

Why Getting Legal Help Early Matters

Insurance providers apply strict criteria in evaluating long term disability claims for conditions like bipolar disorder. Without the help of professionals, most valid claims are denied or shortchanged.

Seeking an expert Toronto long term disability lawyer at an early stage can:

• Help you understand the specific requirements of your policy,
• Locate and obtain the right kind of medical and functional evidence,
• Ensure timely and complete submission of your claim to avoid technical denials,
• Prepare you to respond to challenges and disputes by the insurer.

Speak with a Long Term Disability Lawyer About Your Claim

Interpreting a long term disability claim for bipolar disorder requires specialized knowledge of both mental illness and insurance law. Your insurance company will attempt to minimize your symptoms or deny your claim based on subjective opinions of your illness. This is the reason that having a lawyer is so critical to protect your rights and provide the best possible chance for receiving fair compensation.

How an Attorney Can Assist Your Bipolar Disorder Disability Claim:

• Review Your Policy and Medical Records: A lawyer will thoroughly review your insurance policy, your medical documentation, and work history to build a strong foundation for your claim.
• Help Gather Medical Evidence: They will advise on the types of medical opinions and documentation, such as detailed psychiatrist reports, that best support your claim under the insurer’s criteria.
• Represent You: Lawyers handle all negotiations and correspondence with the insurance company, appealing unjustified denials or delays.
• Seek Appeals and Court Proceedings: If your claim is denied, a lawyer can assist in appeals and represent you in court hearings before the Ontario Superior Court or administrative tribunals.
• Protect Your Rights Under Law: Experienced lawyers are aware of your rights under the Disabilities Act and can make the insurers perform their obligations.

We understand how hard it is to demonstrate a mental illness disability like bipolar disorder. Our knowledgeable team offers a free consultation so that you can know your options and what to do next.