Separating Mood Disorders from Fibromyalgia

If you are going through the disability process and are diagnosed with fibromyalgia, there will be a natural tendency for military providers to lump all your symptoms under this diagnosis- even if the other conditions arose much earlier than the fibromyalgia itself.  This is particularly true with mood disorders like anxiety and depression.  In order to have such mood disorders rated as separately disqualifying conditions, your providers must expressly state that it is not possible to draw a direct nexus to state that your symptoms of anxiety or depression are a direct pathophysiological consequence of your fibromyalgia.  Otherwise, your mental health issues are unlikely to be assigned a separate disability rating by your branch of service.