I didn't take meds or see a doc for those years. I should have been, but that's the vicious cycle of the disease. The review only asked for the previous years worth of visits. I wish I would have received something from them upon my initial approval that laid out the guidelines and requirements.

I guess it helps that I started seeing a shrink once a month, last June. It was sheer pain in my back that finally drove me from the house in April. They have that first doctor's notes, and he notes that mental illness had let pain progress that far, and that he talked me in to finally seeking help, even going so far as to find one for me. My current psychiatrist knows that I only leave the house to see him, and even then, I have to be sedated.

There aren't any mental health professionals where I live. I have to travel an hour to the nearest one. I know there's no way I could hold a job, but the paranoia takes it's toll - especially once I received a packet where SS had referred me to a vocational rehab department to determine if I was still disabled. I didn't know if that was common place, or if I should plan on having to appeal.