Disability

• A disability is a defect, whether mental or physical, that prevents normal achievement in a particular area.
  
  

Depression

• Clinical depression is a mental disorder characterized by extreme sadness or guilt, insomnia, inability to concentrate, loss of appetite and a number of other factors.
  
  

Severity

• To qualify as a disability, clinical depression must be shown to be hampering the sufferer to a noticeable and provable degree. The depression also must be shown to be resistant to treatment.
  
  

Records

• Records of emergency room visits, hospitalization for depression and even from psychologists or psychiatrists should be submitted to prove the earlier mentioned severity.
  
  

The Law

• It is up to a government body to decide whether a patient's depression represents a disability under the law, regardless of how personally hampering the patient finds it.