Daily Living

• Your depression has left you unable to attend to the normal, everyday tasks that healthy people accomplish on a daily basis. The severity of your depression has left you bereft of the energy or interest to clean, cook, shop, or even get out of bed and dress yourself.
  
  

Social Functioning

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  Your depression has incapacitated you so severely that you are incapable of living normally among family, friends, neighbors or co-workers. Typical social functions like meeting new people, sitting in a meeting, having lunch with friends or co-workers or even initiating a conversation feel impossible to you.
  
  

Concentration, Persistence or Pace

• Your depression is so severe that it directly affects your ability to keep a job due to the fact that you are unable to concentrate, focus on and complete work and work-related projects.
  
  

Episodes of Deterioration or Decompensation

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  You experience repeated episodes of feeling emotionally "out of control." You are unable to withstand even a little stress without isolating yourself or losing your temper.
  
  

Final Word

• Submit your claim with a letter and medical documentation your illness from your mental health professional. It is also advisable to submit letters documenting your behavior from family, friends and former employers.