SSA listing 12.06: anxiety and obsessive-compulsive disorders.

The short version

Listing 12.06 is met by paragraph A plus B, or A plus C. Paragraph A has three alternative routes: an anxiety disorder with three or more of six listed signs, panic disorder or agoraphobia, or obsessive-compulsive disorder. Paragraph B and the "serious and persistent" paragraph C work as they do in the other three-paragraph listings.

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 12.06 as printed

How listing 12.06 is built

Listing 12.06 has the same A-and-B or A-and-C architecture as 12.04, but its paragraph A is a menu of three different clinical pictures instead of two counted lists. Section 12.00A2 describes the structure; section 12.00B5 describes the category and names its example diagnoses.

The three routes in paragraph A are alternatives. Documentation of any one of them satisfies paragraph A, and then the functional test in B (or the alternative in C) decides whether the whole listing is met.

Paragraph A in plain terms

The first route, an "anxiety disorder," uses a counted list: three or more of six signs (restlessness, easily fatigued, difficulty concentrating, irritability, muscle tension, sleep disturbance). The wording "characterized by three or more of the following" is a threshold on documented signs, which is why the evidence rules in section 12.00C (symptoms, history, examination findings, rating scales, treatment and its effects) are central here.

The second route splits into two lettered alternatives. "Panic disorder or agoraphobia, characterized by one or both" means either (a) panic attacks followed by persistent worry about more attacks or their consequences, or (b) disproportionate fear or anxiety about at least two different situations, with the regulation's examples being public transportation, crowds, lines, being outside the home and open spaces. The third route, obsessive-compulsive disorder, is likewise "one or both" of intrusive time-consuming thoughts or repetitive behaviors aimed at reducing anxiety.

In the current text, the child version of this listing (112.06) adds a fourth route about separation anxiety that the adult listing does not contain. The adult listing printed above has three routes.

What the regulation says this category covers (12.00B5)

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.

The four areas of paragraph B are the same as everywhere else in the mental listings, but the way the examples map onto this category is worth reading. "Concentrate, persist, or maintain pace" includes "ignoring or avoiding distractions while working" and "sustaining an ordinary routine and regular attendance at work." "Adapt or manage oneself" includes "responding to demands," "adapting to changes" and "managing your psychologically based symptoms."

Section 12.00F3c adds a point that matters for avoidance-based disorders: if you are able to use an area at home, SSA "will not necessarily assume that you would also be able to use that area to function in a work setting where the demands and stressors differ from those at home," and the reverse is also true, that difficulty at home may mean difficulty in a work setting. Section 12.00D then explains how supports and structure, including a living arrangement that reduces demands, are weighed: the more extensive the support or the more structured the setting needed to function, "the more limited we will find you to be."

Paragraph C: "serious and persistent"

For anxiety-type disorders paragraph C is read through its two tests. C1 asks whether you rely on ongoing treatment, therapy, supports or a highly structured setting that diminishes symptoms. C2 asks for "marginal adjustment," which section 12.00G2c defines as "minimal capacity to adapt to changes in your environment or to demands that are not already part of your daily life," shown for example when changes or increased demands led to worsening symptoms and deterioration, such as becoming "unable to function outside of your home or a more restrictive setting, without substantial psychosocial supports."

That example is the regulation's own and happens to describe the kind of picture panic disorder and agoraphobia can present, but the text applies the same way to every category that has a paragraph C.

Reading 12.06 next to its neighbours

PTSD and other trauma- and stressor-related conditions are evaluated under 12.15, not here; the introductory text says so in 12.00B5c. Obsessive-compulsive personality disorder is a personality disorder evaluated under 12.08 rather than obsessive-compulsive disorder under 12.06.

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.