From Social Security's new
mental impairment Listings effective January 17, 2017:
12.04
Depressive, bipolar and related disorders
(see 12.00B3), satisfied by A and
B, or A and C:
A. Medical documentation of the requirements of paragraph 1 or 2:
1. Depressive disorder, characterized by
five
or more of the following:
a. Depressed mood;
b. Diminished interest in almost all activities;
c. Appetite disturbance with change in weight;
d. Sleep disturbance;
e. Observable psychomotor agitation or retardation;
f. Decreased energy
g. Feelings of guilt or worthlessness;
h. Difficulty
concentrating or thinking; or
i. Thoughts of death or suicide.
2. Bipolar disorder, characterized by
three
or more of the following:
a. Pressured speech;
b. Flight of ideas;
c. Inflated self-esteem;
d. Decreased need for sleep;
e.
Distractibility;
f. Involvement in activities that have a high probability of painful consequences
that are not recognized;
or
g
. Increase in goal-directed activity or psychomotor agitation
AND
B. Extreme limitation of one, or marked limitation of
two, of the following
areas
of
mental functioning (see 12.00F):
1.
Understand, remember, or apply information (see 12.00E1).
2.
Interact with others (see 12.00E2).
3.
Concentrate, persist, or maintain pace (see 12.00E3).
4.
Adapt
or
manage oneself (see 12.00E4).
OR
C. Your mental disorder in this
listing category is “serious and persistent;”
that is,
you have a medically documented history of the existence of the disorder over a period of
at least 2 years, and there is evidence of both:
1. Medical treatment, mental health therapy, psychosocial support(s), or a highly
structured setting(s) that is ongoing and that diminishes the symptoms and signs of your
mental disorder (see 12.00G2b);
and
2. Marginal adjustment,
that is, you have minimal capacity to adapt to changes in
your environment or to demands that are not already part of your daily life (see
12.00G2c)
.