Updated: June 2, 2025
Advertising & Editorial Disclosure
Mental health history doesn't automatically disqualify you from life insurance. Insurers consider stability, treatment history and condition severity during underwriting.
Well-managed conditions like anxiety or mild depression may have little impact on your eligibility or premium, especially if you disclose your history and follow treatment plans.
Legal & General America offers no-medical-exam policies, a simpler option for those with mental health conditions, though they come with higher premiums or lower coverage limits.
Prudential, Pacific Life and Legal & General America are the top life insurers for people with mental health conditions. While mental health can affect life insurance eligibility or premiums, well-managed symptoms often have minimal impact.
Check the table below to compare coverage, underwriting and pricing across top insurers.
Company | Best For | Policy Types Offered | Underwriting Strength | 10-Year Term Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Prudential | Overall coverage with mental health | Term, whole, indexed | Strong for managed conditions; flexible review | $30 |
Pacific Life | Mild to moderate mental health cases | Term, whole, universal | Case-by-case underwriting; fair pricing | $19 |
Legal & General America | No medical exam option | Term | Simplified underwriting for well-managed cases | $20 |
Competitive rates with generous mental health underwriting
High financial strength score
May qualify with no medical exam
High premium for severe cases
No whole life option
Only term quotes are available online
MoneyGeek Score: 83/100
AM Best Rating: A+
J.D. Power Customer Satisfaction: 626/1,000
NAIC National Complaint Index: 0.66 (below industry average)
Why It Stands Out
Prudential is a top choice for applicants with mental health conditions, offering competitive rates and a flexible underwriting process. It's especially strong for those managing conditions like depression, anxiety or bipolar disorder. If your symptoms are well-controlled, Prudential offers some of the best rates.
Product Offering
Support Features
Prudential also uses lenient underwriting for various health concerns beyond mental health, including diabetes, HIV, high blood pressure and breast cancer. Each case is reviewed individually, which makes it a strong pick for applicants with multiple pre-existing conditions.
Policy Types Offered: term and universal (including indexed universal life)
Anxiety and depression can qualify for a preferred rating
May qualify for no-exam life insurance
High customer satisfaction and financial ratings
No online quote tools
Limited educational or support resources on its website
MoneyGeek Score: 84/100
AM Best Rating: A+
J.D. Power Customer Satisfaction: 657/1,000 (7th highest)
NAIC National Complaint Index: 0.03 (among the lowest in the industry)
Why It Stands Out
Pacific Life is an excellent choice for individuals with mild to moderate mental health conditions, including anxiety or depression. If you manage your condition with no more than two medications, you may even qualify for preferred rates, which is rare in the industry.
For more complex diagnoses like bipolar disorder or schizophrenia, Pacific Life will require an attending physician statement (APS) during underwriting. Applicants with a suicide attempt within the past two years aren't eligible for coverage.
Support Features
What It Offers
Pacific Life is considered one of the more lenient underwriters for mental health, particularly when conditions are well-managed and have minimal impact on daily functioning.
Policy Types Offered: Term, universal and whole
Well-controlled anxiety and depression can qualify for preferred rates
Preferred plus possibility with no current medication
Streamlined application process that may bypass the medical exam
Bipolar applicants are disqualified if less than one year from diagnosis
Severe depressive episodes are declined
May require a medical exam
MoneyGeek Score: Not yet rated
AM Best Rating: A+
J.D. Power: Not yet ranked
NAIC Complaint Index:
Why It Stands Out
Legal & General America — through its underwriting companies Banner Life and William Penn — has a strong financial reputation and low complaint rates. It's a great choice for people with well-managed anxiety or depression, and depending on the timeline and treatment history, it may even offer favorable ratings for more serious conditions.
Product Offering
Support Features
While underwriting is generous for mental health, applicants may still need to complete a medical exam or submit an attending physician statement (APS), depending on the condition.
Policy Types Offered: Term, universal and whole
Finding life insurance when you have a mental health condition may feel overwhelming, but the sections below simplify the process. From understanding how insurers evaluate mental health to comparing policy types and underwriting guidelines, this guide will help you choose a plan that fits your medical history, financial goals and coverage needs.
Anxiety, depression and other mental health conditions can impact life insurance eligibility. Several factors influence how much they affect premiums and applications:
You can qualify for life insurance with mental health problems, but you might face higher premiums or coverage denial due to disorders like depression or anxiety.
If you have severe mental health disorders or are at increased risk of suicide, some insurers may deny coverage. However, companies like the ones mentioned above offer flexibility under certain conditions. If you’re denied life insurance due to mental health, consider a simplified issue or guaranteed acceptance policy.
Life insurers consider mental health disorders because, like other health conditions, they can affect overall health and life expectancy. Insurers may reject an application or deny coverage based on mental health.
Be honest on your application and disclose your full medical history, even for mild anxiety or depression. Failing to do so can result in your beneficiary's death benefit claim being denied.
Depression and anxiety are common mental health disorders, but they aren't the only ones that affect life insurance. Other conditions that impact qualification include:
Illness | Description |
|---|---|
Depression | A mood disorder that causes prolonged sadness and loss of interest in activities. It affects how a person feels, thinks and behaves, leading to emotional and physical issues. Depression may lead to higher premiums or coverage exclusions. |
Anxiety | Can cause fear or dread in response to specific situations or objects and may lead to panic attacks. This makes risk assessment challenging for insurers. |
Attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) or oppositional-defiant disorder (ODD) | Can lead to disruptive behavior at home, school, work or social settings. This may increase perceived risks for insurers. |
Eating disorders | Disorders that involve extreme attitudes, behaviors or emotions related to food and body weight. The physical health risks can raise concerns during underwriting. |
Schizophrenia | A psychotic disorder that can lead to delusions, hallucinations and symptoms like suicidal thoughts. Severe symptoms can significantly affect policy terms. |
Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) | Can cause fear or stress after a traumatic event, such as a serious accident, rape, abuse or involvement in war or a natural disaster. The potential for ongoing psychological instability may lead insurers to adjust coverage terms. |
Bipolar disorder | Causes extreme mood swings, including periods of deep depression and elevated mania. The severe fluctuations in mood can make it hard for insurers to predict long-term health outcomes. |
If you're rejected for life insurance due to mental health disorders, consider no-medical-exam life insurance. Simplified issue and guaranteed acceptance life insurance don’t require a medical exam, but they can be expensive and offer less coverage than traditional life insurance. However, if you can't qualify for a traditional policy and need coverage, it's better than no coverage at all.
This type of life insurance doesn't require a medical exam, but the application has health questions. Your answers determine if you're eligible and what the rate will be. Since there's no medical exam, you can typically get a response within two days of applying.
This type of life insurance requires no health questions or medical exams, and you receive an instant decision after submitting the application. However, it’s the most expensive option since your health doesn’t help lower the rate.
If you’re considering no-exam life insurance, we’ve analyzed providers and ranked the best no-medical-exam providers that offer coverage.
Getting life insurance with a mental health condition is possible, especially when your symptoms are well-managed and you work with insurers that evaluate each case individually. Prudential stands out for flexible underwriting and strong rider options, while Pacific Life and Legal & General America offer competitive rates and options for various mental health histories. Comparing underwriting criteria, coverage limits and support features will help you find a policy that offers peace of mind for you and your loved ones.
Getting life insurance when you have a mental health condition may be difficult, but not impossible. Here are the answers to the most common mental health and life insurance questions.
The best life insurance companies for people with mental health disorders are Prudential, Pacific Life and Legal & General America. Your health condition and other factors will help determine the best insurer for you.
You can still get life insurance if you have mental health problems. The type of condition, the severity, how long ago it was diagnosed, the treatment protocol and other factors will determine what you qualify for and at what cost.
If you're denied life insurance due to mental health, you still have options. Guaranteed acceptance life insurance requires no health questions or medical exam, and everyone is approved as long as they meet age and coverage amount requirements.
Mental health and life insurance are closely connected. A mental health condition can lead to altered policy terms to manage perceived risks, and in some cases, you may be denied coverage. How mental health affects life insurance depends on your diagnosis, severity and treatment plan.
Any condition affecting your health and life expectancy may be considered a mental health condition for life insurance purposes. These can include anxiety, depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia and other mental illnesses.
You can get life insurance with an anxiety disorder, but your condition can affect your policy options and premiums. Insurers will assess the severity and treatment to determine eligibility and rates.
ADHD can affect life insurance policies due to behaviors that insurers may consider risky, which can influence the underwriting process.
Depression affects life insurance. Applicants with depression might face higher premiums or exclusions depending on the severity and management of their condition.
Why Trust MoneyGeek?
We analyzed 1,488 life insurance quotes, customer satisfaction, financial stability reports, product offerings and more to determine the best life insurance companies for mental health conditions.
MoneyGeek created a scoring system to compare life insurance companies across five categories and ranked them based on their scores. We reviewed these providers based on their broad national coverage and ability to provide an online quote.
MoneyGeek’s Scoring System
In our unique scoring system, companies could earn up to five points in the five categories below. We then used these category scores to calculate an overall MoneyGeek score out of 100.
We applied the following weightings to score insurers:
Each company’s score incorporated the following:
Sample Customer Profile
MoneyGeek used a standard profile to get life insurance quotes:
Premiums are based on the standard profile unless otherwise noted.
We modified the profile by age, gender, height, weight, tobacco use, health rating and geographic location to collect various quotes and determine the best life insurance company for several types of customers. We also collected quotes for term life insurance with varying term lengths and coverage amounts.
We identified trends in the dataset and used those patterns to calculate projections and extend the data beyond what was originally collected.
About Mark Fitzpatrick
Mark Fitzpatrick, a Licensed Property and Casualty Insurance Producer, is MoneyGeek's resident Personal Finance Expert. With over five years of experience analyzing the insurance market, he conducts original research and creates tailored content for all types of buyers. His insights have been featured in publications like CNBC, NBC News and Mashable.
Fitzpatrick holds a master’s degree in economics and international relations from Johns Hopkins University and a bachelor’s degree from Boston College. He's also a five-time Jeopardy champion!
Passionate about economics and insurance, he aims to promote transparency in financial topics and empower others to make confident money decisions.
