I strongly encourage any and everyone to hook up, right from the get-go, with a law firm specializing in helping people get disability.

Some law firms won't take you, until you've been denied. Others will take you right from the beginning. I got one of those firms. I was approved in 3 months. The law firm didn't make a dime because there were no back payments owed to me. And they were fine with that.

The people who make the decision only care about one thing: Why can't you work? Why can't you hold down a job? So it's not enough to say I have such and such disorder. Lots of people who are depressed or have bipolar disorder have good paying careers. They won't hold that against you. They need you to make very clear how your psych problem has gotten in the way of you being successful at working. They have to see that you've tried to work. They have to see that you've gotten all the treatment available and still failed to make a go of a job.

You need a diagnosis from a psychiatrist. Just seeing a therapist isn't enough. Most lawyers will tell you that the best help is a doctor who believes you can't work.

The younger you are, the harder it is to get approved.