A depressive condition that does not meet criteria for a specific diagnosis but causes significant distress or impairment.
Medical records that document your diagnosis and track how your symptoms change over time are central to any rating level. For a 10% rating, records showing symptoms that flare mainly under stress, or a prescription for continuous medication to control symptoms, directly match those criteria. For 30%, treatment notes or evaluation reports describing depressed mood, anxiety, panic attacks occurring weekly or less, or chronic sleep disturbance help support that level, along with any record showing occasional drops in work performance.
For 50%, records showing panic attacks more than once a week, memory problems, impaired judgment, or difficulty sustaining work and social relationships correspond to those criteria. For 70%, clinical notes documenting suicidal ideation, near-continuous depression, impaired impulse control, or inability to maintain relationships are relevant. For 100%, records reflecting gross thought disorganization, persistent delusions or hallucinations, inability to maintain personal hygiene, or disorientation to time or place align with that level.
Statements from you, family members, or supervisors describing how your symptoms affect your ability to work, keep relationships, and manage daily tasks can help show the real-world impact of your condition at any level.
Conditions that are often caused or made worse by this one. If you have any of these, they may be claimable as secondary service connection.
