Borderline personality disorder is a condition that impacts your feelings and behavior. Most people who struggle with BPD struggle with impulsivity and emotional instability.
If you have BPD and find it difficult to function as an employee or in society, you may be eligible for Social Security Disability benefits.
What makes BPD eligible for SSD?
BPD interferes with your relationships with other people. It can force you to detach from social situations, experience severe distrust of others or have impulsive, aggressive outbursts. There may be times when you experience excessive emotion and may not recognize boundaries with other people.
The SSA has criteria for what constitutes a disability for a mental health condition. The requirements include the ability to:
- Interact with other people
- Understand, apply and remember information
- Adapt to situations or manage yourself
- To persistent, maintain pace or concentrate
To qualify, you must have marked limitation in at least two of the criteria or severe restriction in one of the criteria.
How can you prove disability with BPD?
Like most mental health diagnoses, you do not instantly qualify for SSD. To prove that you have a disability that interferes with your ability to function and sustain yourself, you need to provide medical evidence with your application. Evidence should include medical documents that address psychological testing, symptoms, clinical findings, medications and the expected duration of your symptoms’ effects on your functioning.
Generally, BPD co-exists with other mental health disorders. Disorders like anxiety, depression and PTSD can also be eligible for SSD.
