The only medical opinion to the contrary is a "Residual Functional Capacity Questionnaire" completed by Dr. O. Hernandez, MD, dated December 17, 2007, indicating that he has treated the claimant since January 11, 2006, and that the claimant has been unable to work due to physical and mental limitations since March I, 200 I. I find nothing in the record to support his opinion. (Exhibits 19F.)
4. Beginning on January 1, 2005, the claimant has had the following severe impairment: schizoaffective disorder (20 CFR 404.1520(c) and 416.920(c)).
Treatment notes from CHI dated June 20, 2005 through April 5, 2006 indicate that the claimant was instructed regarding a diabetic diet and use of a blood glucose monitor. She was prescribed Glipizide, and continued on her blood pressure medications. She was encouraged to lose weight, and she did reduce her weight from 191 pounds to 175 pounds, however she expressed concern about her weight loss and loss of appetite. (Exhibit 27F.) I find that the claimant's hypertension and diabetes continue to be non-severe impairments.
The claimant first sought mental health treatment at CHI in February 2006, though there is no record of how this came about. The initial psychiatric evaluation was performed on March 24, 2006. The claimant reported feeling depressed, stressed, nervous and very anxious for a long time, but had gotten worse over the past 8 months. On mental status examination, paranoid ideation and auditory hallucinations were reported. The examining psychiatrist diagnosed major depression recurrent with psychotic features and assessed the claimant's GAF to be 50. Zoloft, Risperdal and Vistaril were prescribed. The claimant was assigned to Dr. Borrego, who has continued to treat the claimant on a regular basis. Dr. Borrego diagnosed the claimant with schizoaffective disorder, and has noted continued severe symptoms in every progress note, in spite of increased doses of medication. (Exhibit 30F, also see Exhibit 21F.)
5. Beginning on January 1, 2005, the severity of the claimant's schizoaffective disorder has met the requirements of section 12.04 of Appendix 1.
Section 12.04 of the Listing of Impairments provides that an affective disorder is characterized by a disturbance of mood, accompanied by a full or partial manic or depressive syndrome. Mood refers to a prolonged emotion that colors the whole psychic life; it generally involves either depression or elation. The required level of severity for these disorders is met when the requirements in both A and B are satisfied, or when the requirements in C are satisfied.
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