I started applying 4 months after I became disabled and after reading that rule, did not finish the application until 6 months after the major incident (the attempt) when I became quite hopeless about how slowly I was healing. They approved me 3 months later and backdated the pay to the date of the finished application. The underlying mental issues (mood disorder, depression, GAD) had been documented for 4 years. After my attempt, I was in severe pain, and had severe physical disabilities. At month 6, I was severely depressed about how much pain and disability I still had. I was losing hope that I would ever heal so I finished the application. However, at 12 months, the pain became much more tolerable and the frustrating nerve pain that plagued my right arm (even using a mouse hurt) healed. After having SSDI for 24 months, they are currently reviewing me. Once again, I will complete the paperwork on my own (though they do ask that you provide the name of one friend or family member whom they can contact to ask about your condition.) Now and when I originally applied, I obtained copies of my medical records and used the diagnosis in them. It is good to apply ASAP because if I had, the start date of my payments might have been sooner. Also, I think to qualify, it said you had to have worked 5 out of the last 10 years based on the date of the application so for some people, if they wait a long time to apply (to many years) in order to see if they recover, the wait could effect eligibility....