In 2012, my primary care doctor surprised me by saying I should apply. I had just failed at another job and was depressed over it. He said, "You've tried long enough." I still wonder how he knew what he knew. The progress notes from the pdocs must have painted a worse picture than I would have expected.

So I called around to law firms. Their main interest seemed to be in whether I had doctors supporting me in applying. I got approved in 3 months, which is astonishing, eapecially given that I was functioning okay off the job.

Like you, I thought it was a huge step. I totally could not see where I was not employable. The improvement in my state of mind, however, since not having chronic income insecurity, has been dramatic. So you might want to listen to your doctors. Sometimes we are too much in our own situation to be able to see it.

In the U.S. the longer you put off applying, while not working, the more adverse an impact it can have on the size of your benefit, potentially. So consider than. Here, anyway, they average your annual incomes. More time out of work brings that average down. I know nothing about your system, but your doctors may be mindful of more than you realize.