I'm glad to see these posts by Krisakira, which are by someone who knows exactly what she is talking about.

There is a lot of misinformation out there. I'm sorry to say this, but a major source can be the very people that are working as psych professionals, or with advocacy agencies. I say this based on my experience of being encouraged to apply for SSDI by therapists who seemed to greatly underestimate the difficulty of the process. Fortunately for me, I tend to be skeptical and, repeatedly, I am finding that what sounds a little too easy to be how it is turns out to be how it isn't. I was just over applying for Section 8. What I got told there conflicted with what an advocacy agent had told me. The agent had helped me prepare paperwork, which the housing authority said was not in order and sent me away to get more stuff. Peers who have been through the process are the most reliable source for getting some initial info. At least, that's what I am finding out.