I’m on SSDI for bipolar. I was denied both at my first application and my appeal so I had to get a lawyer and go to a hearing before a judge and I was awarded benefits on the spot. The whole process took about 2 ½ years, most of it waiting for my hearing. I had a checkered job history bouncing from job to job showing a decline in skill level over time and had been unemployed for 4 years. I also had records from a hospitalization, records from 3 psychiatrists, two therapists and a court order appointing my parents as my legal guardians. The judge seemed most interested in my GAF (Global Assessment of Functioning) scores, which ranged from 25-70. She also was interested in my meds, of which I take a lot, and how they affected my ability to work. And that’s the key. You can bring all the records in the world to prove that your bipolar but you need to prove that because of your condition you are unable to work, even part time. Not just in your respective field, but ANY job in the national economy.