[abalashov]

This aligns with my experience and observations as well. The other thing is, with the evisceration of "welfare" (AFDC) and its replacement with TANF in the Clinton years,

http://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2016/04/the-end-...

... SSI disability benefits have basically become the new "welfare", for those "lucky" enough to qualify. As you rightly noted, barring a real physical injury, the most probable pathway for the largest number of people involves psychiatric and emotional issues.

I'm not one of these right-wing "just get a jerb!1" populists, nor am I alleging widespread fraud. I don't doubt for a second that most disability benefit recipients really do have psychiatric encumbrances to work. Your account just happens to be a situation to which I've been repeatedly exposed:

> They're mostly lazy and none of them live what we'd think of as awesome lives. But I wouldn't in a million years think of them as anything close to permanently disabled. If someone put foot to ass they'd be capable of supporting themselves and probably better off and happier in the long run...