Rose, your story is very similar to mine. I live alone, and relatives are ignorant and very unsympathetic regarding depression, and uninvolved in my life. I worked professionally for about 15 years, and tried other types of work. With depression, anxiety, and ADD, I was too slow, and had trouble learning new procedures if they were technical and tedious. That led to a lot of job failure. As a social worker, I was struggling too much personally to feel effective as a clinician. My Pdoc suggested applying for SSDI. It wasn't difficult to be accepted. I was denied initially, but simply by appealing their decision, they reversed it.

I have to say that for me, I've developed more fear of workplace stress and failure since being out of the workplace for the past 6 or 7 years. I'm hooked up with a voc rehab agency, but am unsure what I'm suited for, as I'm mostly interested in art. The income from SSDI never covered my living expenses, since I am a homeowner. But if your expenses are low, and SSDI would give you a breather, go for it. I wish there were financial incentives to re-enter the job market, but I've found it hard to make up in earnings what I'd lose in health coverage if I returned to work. It's a dilemma. The pay for jobs not requiring my masters degree is pitiful. It's also been socially isolating being at home all this time. I'm 55, and a lot of employers seek younger, more "energetic" (read exploitable) workers. I feel for your situation.