Never seen anyone in a full blown attack have you? My first attack was like a stroke. I lost all sense of where I was at, what I was doing, how I got there, where I was going, etc. I was on an interstate driving BTW. My last night at work I went into one of those attacks that lasted nearly two days. Many if not most anxiety disorders except when related to traumatic events have an underlying NEUROLOGICAL cause. The problem is many doctors do not go through the trouble to pin it down and shrinks sure won't.
IOW anxiety is a secondary disorder or a symptom produced by a medical disorder as in my case. In this case it can not be treated by a shrink nor by conventional text book meds used such as antidepressants as that only makes it worse. It took me a while to even find a doctor who could treat it. Xanax is my medication friend. A God send for someone like me.
This also greatly effects my concentration. I was a maintenance mechanic when this hit. I was trained and experienced in Commercial Electrical, HVAC, and boiler operations. Before I had to quit I was having serious problems with concentration. IOW I could have gotten myself or others killed. I was working on equipment 460 volts three phase as well as operating boilers when I wasn't repairing other equipment. I wasn't a typical maintenance man this was in a commercial health care facility environment. Now I'll show you part of what I'm talking about by letting a doctor explain some of it. Cognitive Aspects of Vestibular Disorders
I got a lot further in life with this simply because I got help when I was about 12. I spent two years in physical rehabilitation. There I learned to get by till my mid thirties when my sensory system began to fail. My attacks are complicated by Myoclonic Epileptic Seizures which occur at the same time.
Stress also complicates this. I don't just sit around drawing a check. I am a full time 24/7 caregiver. By caregiver I mean I am a trained medical care giver. I don't get paid for it. Familiy does not get paid for taking care of family. I've done it 25 years including the years I worked a full time job.
Can it be faked? The onset of MS can be faked so can brain damage. Sure anythings possible. I have 16 years documentation of my disorders. I suppose my wife could be faking her quadriplegia also. Man if I ever catch her up and walking is she ever in trouble /sarcasm.
I think anxiety disorder is a neurosis, not a psychosis.
Many Americans have neurosis, I just do want to pay for it with my tax dollars.
If you have a psychoses like schizophrenia then you do deserve SSI. However, anxiety is a neurosis. I have anxiety, also. My anxiety is the stress of my job, and that my husband and I have to work longer,and delay retirement so that people with neurosis can live on my increasing tax burden.
There is such a thing as job retraining. Especially prior to the last recession, you could have retrained into a different profession if the one you currently are in does not suit your physical abilities.
I especially suspect people who have a laundry list of ailments to support their disability status.
It is great that you are able to take care of your wife ( who deserves SSI).
But some people ( including my coworkers) have to support ailing family members while working full time.
I have a brother who collects SSI. he suffered high jaundice as a newborn, and caused kernicterus. he deserves SSI, as he is very disabled. I would have loved it if he only had an anxiety disorder.