Castillo

MEMORANDUM **

Plaintiff-Appellant Deborah Castillo appeals from the district court’s summary judgment upholding the denial of her application for disability benefits under Title XVI of the Social Security Act. The parties are familiar with the facts and procedural background, and we will discuss them only where necessary to explain our ruling.

The Administrative Law Judge (“ALJ”) rejected Castillo’s treating medical source opinion as “inconsistent with the greater objective record, namely, treatment records from that same source between February and April 2004, which indicate the claimant’s mental status was improved and stable.... ” The opinions of treating sources are generally to be given the greatest weight when comparing the opinions of medical experts as they relate to the claimant. Lester v. Chater, 81 F.3d 821, 830 (9th Cir.1996); Rodriguez v. Bowen, 876 F.2d 759 (9th Cir.1989). Although the treating physician’s opinion is not conclusive as to a claimant’s medical condition, an ALJ may reject this opinion when it conflicts with an examining physician’s opinion only by providing “specific and legitimate” reasons supported by substantial evidence. Batson v. Comm’r, 359…