The determination of mental RFC is crucial to the evaluation of an individual's capacity to engage in substantial gainful work activity when the criteria of the listings for mental disorders are not met or equaled but the impairment is nevertheless severe. RFC may be defined as a multidimensional description of the work related abilities which an individual retains in spite of medical impairments. RFC complements the criteria in paragraphs B and C of the listings for mental disorders by requiring consideration of an expanded list of work-related capacities which may be impaired by mental disorder when the impairment is severe but does not meet or equal a listed mental disorder. These findings may be intermittent or persistent depending on the nature of the disorder. Clinical signs are medically demonstrable phenomena which reflect specific abnormalities of behavior, affect, thought, memory, orientation, or contact with reality.
Symptoms are complaints presented by the individual.
Both symptoms and signs which are part of any diagnosed mental disorder must be considered in evaluating severity. For mental disorders, severity is assessed in terms of the functional limitations imposed by the impairment. A marked limitation may arise when several activities or functions are impaired or even when only one is impaired. Four areas are considered. Activities of daily living include adaptive activities such as cleaning, shopping, cooking, taking public transportation, paying bills, maintaining a residence, caring appropriately for one's grooming and hygiene, using telephones and directories, using a post office, etc.