Long Term Disability Benefits : How Can a Somatic Symptom Disorder Diagnosis Help Your Claim?

If you’ve been following along recently, you probably know that we’ve been covering some of the changes that have been made in the DSM-5 and how they might impact your long term disability claim. Today we’re going to focus on a specific condition and the diagnostic criteria that you need to meet in order to be diagnosed with the disorder.

As always, this information is generalized and meant to give you an idea about what you may face if you file a claim. The best way to get advice about your specific situation is to set up a free consultation with someone at an experienced disability firm.

Diagnostic Criteria for Somatic Symptom Disorder

The diagnostic criteria that you need to meet to be diagnosed with somatic symptom disorder are laid out pretty clearly in the DSM-5.

1. You display a somatic symptom or symptoms that significantly disrupt your life on a daily basis or are otherwise distressing.
2. You show excessive feelings, thoughts, or behaviors about your health or condition in one or more of the following ways:
   • You focus on the seriousness of your symptoms an excessive amount.
   • You symptoms or health causes you to experience a persistently high level of anxiety.
   • You devote excessive time and energy to your health issues.
3. You are persistently symptomatic (6 months or longer in most cases), but may not continuously have to deal with the same symptom.

For some people, the main issue is pain. For others, it’s the fact that the symptoms they have to deal with never seem to go away. When describing your condition, you should specify whether pain or persistence is the bigger issue for you.

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Those who experience only one of the symptoms described under section 2 are defined as having Mild somatic symptom disorder. Moderate severity means that you are dealing with two or more of these symptoms, and a Severe designation requires that you suffer two or more of those symptoms in addition to having several other somatic complaints.

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Still unclear on whether or not you meet the requirements? The best thing you can do is speak with a qualified long term disability attorney and learn about how disability policies work by reading our free eBook.