Hi Crook. I was only 38 when I was approved for SSDI. I had been in and out of the hospital and in PHPs/IOPs for much of 4 years, but had attempted to return to work again and again between them, with only brief successes. Just before my application, I did get terminated because they could no longer hold my job.

My husband and I did hire a lawyer from the beginning, but my therapist didn't think I needed to. In any case, I did get approved first try (about 5 months after application). I know most don't, but I believe many many do eventually get approved upon various appeals. It's always worth trying, if you feel that work is continuing to make you ill. Certainly if working makes you progressively more unstable, that is a significant fact. Hospital (and any IOP/PHP) records are significant. So is what your psychiatrist and therapist write to support your application. Since both of them are strongly encouraging your application, that's a plus. I've read of some people applying even without strong support from their mental healthcare providers. Obviously, not such a plus.