One of my doctor clients who is an M.D. psychiatrist used to do SSI hearings. All the people he saw were coming in claiming to be depressed. He denied most of the claims, few he approved but only with a recommendation that they become involved in an exercise program, see a psychologist for individual psychotherapy and continue working. None of the applicants were interested in following up on his recommendations.
If someone files claiming mental illness, the maximum we should be paying, IMO, is for psychotherapy and perhaps meds but it should not be a replacement for a paycheck. We have a whole bunch of people just like this working in DC who do continue to draw a paycheck so saying that they can’t show up for work because of mental illness is a bogus claim.
I agree that therapy and meds should be paid for and yes, should be a stipulated requirement to draw benefits. Counseling does make all the difference.
Depressed? I thought the big ones were “back pain” and “bi-polar”.