DSM-III diagnoses in Social Security disability applicants referred for psychiatric evaluation

Demographic data and DSM-III diagnoses are presented for 55 applicants for Social Security disability benefits who were referred for psychiatric evaluations of psychiatric disability. Some of the applicants had apparently experienced difficulties in functioning secondary to severe psychiatric disorders (schizophrenic and schizoaffective disorders, 27%; anxiety disorders, 15%; and affective disorders, 33%), and others had psychiatric problems that may have been secondary to adverse life circumstances (adjustment disorders, 6%; phase-of-life problems, 6%; and bereavement, 2%); some of the affective disorders may also have been precipitated by environmental events. Many of the psychiatric disorders were potentially treatable (affective, anxiety, and substance abuse disorders).