Wow, now that's a shame. But one has to wonder if she was having fun does that not mean that she is capable of working as well?  The doctors point was for her to get out of depresion and having fun may do that. I am not sure how someone can have fun one moment then go back to being depressed, sounds to me like this person does not want to be better. Still, I don't think photos should be enough to warrant losing ones benefits. Then again the story does mention there were others reasons however they are not detailed so the story does leave you undecided since pictures can't prove you are cured but no details of the other reasons doesn't help either.

1 year? That's a long time to be out of work, depressed and still getting benefits. That's amazing, didn't know anyone could do that. Sounds more like milking the system to me but who am I to criticize.

People work the system all the time.  Whether this lady is legit (possible) or just got caught.  Unfortunately, we physicians are more often than not being 'worked' as well.

While the decision wasn't mine, one of my patients recently was awarded (fought for and won) long-term disability on the basis of stress & depression due to a 'toxic' work environment, which in reality was a dramatic decline in commissions due to a dramatic decline in business.  Now that individual is happy as a clam, frequently visiting Europe, while making more from the disability insurer than he did when he was actually working.  All you have to do anymore is declare that you 'can't take it anymore' and, if you have the right kind of employer (big enough), you're home free.  He's perfectly capable of work (the work involved in getting qualified for disability proved that) but that would be a drag, wouldn't it?

Long time ago I had a patient, a lawyer, who won a lawsuit for disability benefits alleging he was disabled by fatigue & unable to work as a lawyer.  Guess who represented him - he did.  Acted as his own lawyer and with a straight face argued to a judge that he was unable to practice law.  The judge, being a smart man apparently, agreed he should no longer be practicing law.

Human nature can be interesting.

I would very much disagree that because she was seen as having fun that she was not depressed.

I have personall experience of depression and I was very hit or miss - one day I would feel top of the world and the next pretty much unable to function.  I didn't need to formally take time off work as the combination of the work I do and my boss meant that I just made up the time at different times but I know that if that level of flexability was not avaible to me than I would have ended up being signed off.

Were it a requirment that I could guantee that I would turn up on a specific day and be capable of functioning then I would not have been able to do that job.  Mixed in with this was good nights out, enjoyable days out and yes nights out that were rubbish but I needed to stay at, for example a wedding and other big events. 

One weekend away I was on top form for the first night and people said they though I was back to my old self, the next day I needed to spend over $150 (well £100) to get home as quickly as I could also leaving the weekend with more than 60% of it remaining as I just couldn't cope with it at that point.

Oh - I do live it open that she is playing the system just that pictures of her being happy on occasion doesn't prove on their own that she doesn't have depression.

Exactly. These pics alone should not be the factor and the story failed to mention any other reasons.

That's actually exactly how depression works. Pictures of someone having fun aren't necessarily pictures of someone being happy, just someone trying.

All of which doesn't mean she wasn't milking the system. The only one who knows for sure is her.

It's one thing to be depressed.  It's another to be sufficiently depressed you are incapable of any gainful employment and therefore deserving of open-ended disability payments.  My observation has been that mood improves remarkably upon the first payment of cash for not working.  Further, that many in such circumstances are capable of remarkable work once they are being paid for being unable to work.  This is entirely unscientific, of course, just anecdotal observation.

On the other hand, I don't believe pictures of someone at the beach prove that they are capable of working.  We wouldn't think twice if it was a patient with crippling rheumatoid arthritis in a wheelchair at the beach, but illnesses without visible deformity don't get the same subjective treatment and we should, in most cases, grant the benefit of the doubt, despite my reply above.  On the other other hand, last I heard, Stephen Hawking was still working.