Panic Attacks?

Question

Can panic attacks be considered a disability? The last few jobs that i have had, i was rushed to the hospital cause i thought i was having a heart attack. Turns out that it was panic attacks. The last one i had, i lost my job over. Since i worked at the same place as my father in law, the company told him to tell me that i was no longer needed. They fired me while i was in my hospital bed. I know there are laws against that. They didn't have the grapefruits to call me and tell me over the phone. Does anyone think i have a case?

Answer 1

If you're at "at will" employee, a company can fire you over anything they want. You could most-likely get unemployment, but as far as a case...you'd win in morality court, but I doubt in a regular court.

I believe that you have to have already made your disability known to your employer to be protected under the ADA, and that doesn't even always protect you because they can lay you off for other reasons (happened to a friend of mine).

Good luck with the panic attacks. I'm lucky that my company understands when I have mine.

Answer 2

You most certainly have a case, but I think right now you should be more focused on your health. Panic attacks are very serious, but there are medicines out there that can make you feel like you can come back to earth. Ask your doctor about lexapro and xanax. You can start to focus again and the world will stop feeling like it is coming down on your shoulders, because there are medications that can help I don't think panic attacks are something that you can get disability for unless medication is not helping you or the panic attacks are causing you other types of mental illness, such as depression etc.

Answer 3

Does anyone think i have a case? - Only if you can prove that you were fired because of your medical condition, they knew you were disabled and that reasonable accommodation was available.

As an example, if a person had a fainting disorder where they fainted regularly and without warning no court would find against a company that fired them as a driver.

I am hard of hearing. In my job as a computer engineer I can use IM to communicate. I will never work as a piano tuner.

Answer 4

I have read some litterature about panic attacks. But they allways seem to have a more scientific approach and that is nothing I need in my struggle to survive those horrible panic attacks. This is a "hand on" and very practical book. I felt it was written to me. I am sure that you are going to feel the same.

Joe Barry writes exactly how I think. The examples are perfectly described. And the method is genius. I recommend this book and thanks Joe Barry for writing it. It changes your life

Answer 5

Panic attacks are related to a psychological and emotional condition.

It is not deadly, you won't die - but it feels like you are going to.

It is easily treated and can be cured when you get rid of the stress in your life - either conscious or sub-concious.

I suffered them for 15 years....dreadful. Can't tell you the number of time I arrived at a hospital thinking I was dying.

When my husband and I split up.....they stopped....dead...Never another one. We have been divorced since 1981....no one panic attack in all that time.

Go get help. You are NOT disabled....you probably need a little professional counseling to face what it is in your life that is causing them.

Answer 6

There's a lot of "depends". Depends on what state you live in, depends on whether you can prove what you think, etc. Best thing to do would be to call an attorney in your state. Some attorneys, in some states, don't charge you for an initial consultation.
But, it's definitely worth making a few calls on.

Answer 7

YES...it can be a disability.(it is recognized by SSDI)

Diagnosis of it, as being debilitating, likely has to come before any such incident for you to really have a "case"