Hi there clouds and sun. I can tell you about my experience with the hope that it will help.
I was diagnosed late in life with Bipolar 1. When I was manic, I was fired from my job. I've since been hopitalized three times and the bottom line is that I'm incapable of working. It was time to apply for Social Security anyway......my husband urged me to apply for SS Disability as well. I thought as you do, that it would take years to get it if they even considered me eligible. The bottom line: I was given a phone appointment to answer a million questions, but they weren't difficult (I had hubby as a back-up) and the person I talked to was truly a peach. I got SSD within a couple of weeks........with payment retro-active to the first of the calendar year.
I have a friend, much younger and disabled with anxiety, OCD and a host of other things. This goes back many years, but he got Social Security in a relatively short time.
For me, it wasn't remotely the production I expected it to be. Good luck if you go that route.......I have no doubt that it isn't worth trying.