SSA listing 12.04: depressive and bipolar disorders.

The short version

Listing 12.04 is met by paragraph A plus paragraph B, or paragraph A plus paragraph C. Paragraph A asks for medical documentation of either five or more listed depressive symptoms or three or more listed bipolar symptoms; B asks for extreme limitation of one, or marked limitation of two, of four areas of mental functioning; C is the "serious and persistent" route.

The text below is the adult listing from 20 CFR Part 404, Subpart P, Appendix 1 as published on the eCFR, current through October 29, 2026 and read on November 2, 2026. Children are evaluated under the 112.xx series; this page covers only the adult listing.

Listing 12.04 as printed

How listing 12.04 is built

Listing 12.04 is one of five mental-disorder listings that have three paragraphs. Section 12.00A2 of the introductory text says your disorder "must satisfy the requirements of both paragraphs A and B, or the requirements of both paragraphs A and C." Paragraph A is the medical part: it must be present in your medical evidence. Paragraph B is the functional part. Paragraph C is an alternative to B for disorders the regulation calls "serious and persistent."

So there are two doors through the same first paragraph. Everything turns on A first, because neither B nor C can be satisfied without it. That is why the regulation puts A first and spends the introductory text explaining what kind of evidence counts.

Paragraph A in plain terms

The two sub-paragraphs of A are counted lists, and the counts are different on purpose. A depressive disorder needs five or more of nine listed symptoms; a bipolar disorder needs three or more of seven. The words "characterized by" and the lettered items mean the listing is describing a documented clinical picture, not asking for a particular diagnosis label. Section 12.00B3b separately names the kinds of diagnoses SSA evaluates here, which include bipolar disorders (I or II), cyclothymic disorder, major depressive disorder and persistent depressive disorder.

Notice that "Observable psychomotor agitation or retardation" is the one depressive item that depends on someone observing it; the others can come from reported symptoms. Section 12.00C lists the evidence SSA looks at, including reported symptoms, mental status examinations, rating scales, the type and effect of medication and therapy, and observations of how you function during examinations or therapy.

What the regulation says this category covers (12.00B3)

TNAADO's reading: the category description and the examples tell you which kinds of conditions are assessed here. They are not extra criteria. The criteria are the paragraphs of the listing itself.

Paragraph B: the four areas and the five-point scale

Paragraph B is a functional test. SSA rates the effect of the disorder on four areas of mental functioning on a five-point scale (12.00F2) and the listing is satisfied by extreme limitation of one, or marked limitation of two.

Paragraph B does not ask how severe the diagnosis is. It asks how far the disorder limits four work-related areas. Section 12.00F1 says SSA considers "the kind, degree, and frequency of difficulty you would have; whether you could function without extra help, structure, or supervision; and whether you would require special conditions."

For mood disorders, section 12.00F4 matters because moods cycle. It says SSA considers "how often you have exacerbations and remissions, how long they last, what causes your mental disorder to worsen or improve," and whether the area can be used "on a regular and continuing basis (8 hours a day, 5 days a week, or an equivalent work schedule)." It also says SSA will not find that you can work "solely because you have a period(s) of improvement (remission), or that you are disabled solely because you have a period of worsening (exacerbation)."

Paragraph C: "serious and persistent"

Paragraph C exists because treatment can quiet the obvious symptoms without making a person able to cope with change. Section 12.00G1 says "we recognize that mental health interventions may control the more obvious symptoms and signs of your mental disorder." C needs a medically documented history of at least two years and both C1 (ongoing treatment, therapy, supports or a highly structured setting that diminishes symptoms) and C2 (only marginal adjustment).

Section 12.00G2b adds that SSA looks at whether treatment happens "with a frequency consistent with accepted medical practice," and that if inconsistent treatment or non-compliance "is a feature of your mental disorder" and led to worsening, SSA will not use it as evidence that you did not receive ongoing treatment.

Reading 12.04 next to its neighbours

12.04 sits between 12.03 (schizophrenia spectrum and other psychotic disorders) and 12.05 (intellectual disorder). Trauma-related conditions such as PTSD are evaluated under 12.15 and anxiety and obsessive-compulsive disorders under 12.06, not here. Section 12.00B sets out which disorders SSA evaluates in each category, and several categories exclude their neighbours by name, so the category description is the place to check where a condition belongs.

What this page does not do

It does not diagnose, say which listing applies to you, estimate an outcome or advise on a claim. A listing is only one step: Social Security also decides disability through other steps and considers evidence this page does not reproduce. The regulation text changes over time; check the linked eCFR page for the current version.