Sarah Bohr will share arguments based on published circuit cases addressing mental illness, two of which she’s won, such as: where "claimants consume antidepressant, anticonvulsant, and/or antipsychotic drugs, consistently attend visits with mental health professionals, and endure constant medication adjustment and management, their treatment is classified as anything but 'routine and conservative'"; an ALJ “must take into account the fundamental differences between the relaxed, controlled setting of a medical clinic and the more stressful environment of a workplace”; many people with severe mental illness "are still capable of eating, putting on clothes in the morning, and purchasing basic necessities"; but "[n]one of those activities, however, say much about whether a person can function in a work environment";it is "common knowledge that depression is one of the most underreported illnesses in the country because those afflicted often do not recognize that their condition reflects a potentially serious mental illness."

Key topics to be discussed:

• Reframing “Routine and Conservative” Treatment for Mental Illness
• Distinguishing Clinical Functioning from Workplace Demands
• Challenging Misuse of Daily Activities and Underreporting in Mental-Health Claims

Eligible for up to 1 CLE Credit Hour

This session was originally submitted for CLE as a live, in-person presentation and a live webcast for the 8th Circuit Conference 2025 Conference and may be eligible for self-study credit.

Each state handles self-study credit differently; for questions, please consult your State Bar Association.

Recorded on November 6, 2025

Closed-captioning available