Posted by proudfoot on August 29, 2010, at 14:32:53
In reply to Re: disability, posted by olivia12 on August 29, 2010, at 11:18:35
> I was way out of line when I posted those rude comments. I am angry because of a particular situation that is personal to me--I didn't realize how angry I really am. I am sorry for those of you that I offended.
Thanks for your apology. Really, thank you. Your original post truly p***ed me off with its insensitive and judgmental tone.
Disability is a very intensely personal, many times painful, and humbling circumstance in which to find oneself, in particular if it's from a mental illness. One is totally dependent upon lawyers and insurance company or government hacks making a determination after reviewing what are frequently insufficient or inaccurate medical records. All truly disabled folks I've encountered in life have taken those benefits and that label very begrudgingly and as a last resort as their lives basically fell apart around them.
I am trained as a physician and am still licensed as such, but am no longer practicing. Impairments from a combination of major depression and A.D.D. led me to close my practice several years ago. It was the hardest and saddest thing I've ever had to do in my life, as if all the hard work I'd put into becoming a caring and competent physician had suddenly been devalued. My primary identity in life had been taken away from me, and I went into a much deeper depression than I thought possible in the ensuing months/years. Four years later I'm just now climbing out of it.
When I was still a young lad of 26 in training, I smartly (in retrospect) purchased a private disability insurance policy for which I paid almost $250 per month. On the advice of my psychiatrist and therapist, I finally filed a claim against that policy over a year after I quit medicine. I fought doing this tooth and nail, as I didn't want to be labeled as being disabled. However, I really had no choice, having accumulated over $20K in credit card debt, still owing $35K in medical school loans, and with no immediate job in sight.
The insurance company tried to deny the claim, and it finally took a one on one telephone conversation between my shrink and the insurance company's reviewing psychiatrist before the determination was made that I was truly unable to continue practicing medicine because of my illnesses. Getting these benefits proved to be a lifeline for me, and I am now gainfully employed doing low-wage office work in a non-medical office.
Even though I likely would have qualified for government benefits through SSI, I did NOT apply. However, knowing the hell people go through to get those government disability benefits, I would never be so arrogant as to judge someone else for having done so. Until you've actually been there and experienced how demeaning it is to be the applicant, please keep an open mind.
Just like car insurance or homeowner's insurance, disability insurance is something you hope you'll never need. But for those of us who really truly need it, please be supportive, not judgmental.
As others have already correctly posted here, there are much bigger areas of wasteful government spending (corporate welfare and two overseas wars to name a few) in the federal budget than the few slackers incorrectly collecting government payments. It's in those areas where disdain should be registered as to the amount of sheer waste that's occurred and continues to occur.
Just sign me:
Disabled, but not by choice
poster:proudfoot
thread:960391
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20100829/msgs/960467.html