Cindi, Almost everybody gets denied he first time they apply. I think that they do this to weed out the people who are not really in serious need of SSDI. The advice that has been given here is dead on correct. Do file an appeal and find an attorney who specializes in this. They have the know-how and connections to get all of the records together and make sense of them. Often times there is a nurse on staff that can interpret them. Try hard to not be discouraged. My daughter is a social worker and worked for a long time with severely mentally ill patients and this was almost always the way it happened with their SSDI. Do not give up!! I did receive mine at the appeal. Good luck, Lisa