Many physical disabilities, especially ones which cause a great deal of pain, will involve mental symptoms. You should mention these in your testimony at your Social Security hearing; after you bring up a specific mental symptom, you will often be asked questions about it in order to clarify the matter for the administrative law judge.
If the mental issue at hand is your ability to tolerate stress, you will be asked which types of things you find to be stressful. To respond to such questions, you should give examples and explain what about the sample circumstances you find to be stress-inducing. You should also describe any symptoms of stress that you exhibit, which could include:
- Feelings of panic.
- Terror.
- Fears of losing control of your actions.
- Fear of death.
- Fear of going insane.
- Hallucinations.
- Flashbacks.
- Nausea.
- Stomach ache.
- Numbness.
- Chest pain or palpitations.
- Chills.
- Hot flashes.
- Tingling.
- Sweatiness.
- Feeling faint or unsteady.
- Shortness of breath.
- Choking.
- A sensation of being smothered.
- A sense of imminent doom.
- Desperation.
- Flight or fight response.
- Trembling or shaking.
You may be asked about certain types of work demands that commonly make people feel stressed. Requests for speed, precision, complex work, meeting deadlines, working within a schedule, decision-making, the exercising of personal discretion in making judgments, fear failure at work, and the completion of certain tasks can be stressful. In addition, being required to complete tasks, deal with coworkers or supervisors, work with the public, accept the criticism of supervisors, work under supervision, or work for a full day may cause stress. If possible, compare current your ability to cope with work related stress to before exhibiting any symptoms of mental disability.
Often, the Social Security Administration holds that work that follows a routine and is representative is low-stress. However, even work of that kind might be stressful for some individuals for reasons such as the work’s monotonous nature or lack of meaningfulness. Other possible stressors include lack of latitude in making decisions, collaboration on the job, opportunity for learning new things, and utilization of skills.