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Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) Compensation

What is post-traumatic stress disorder?

Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is an anxiety disorder which is caused by events which are very distressing.

While anyone who’s been through a traumatic ordeal is bound to feel upset for some time afterwards, PTSD is an ongoing psychological condition which has a negative effect on your life moving forwards.

In most cases, the negative reaction to a traumatic event will fade with time, but if you’re suffering from PTSD, it’s likely you’re finding it very difficult to move on. You might also find that the mental and physical symptoms are having an impact on your day-to-day life.

If the traumatic experience which triggered your PTSD was caused by someone else’s fault or negligence, then we may be able to help you make a compensation claim to cover the effects your injury has had on your life and may continue to have in the future. It can also cover the costs of treatment, such as cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT).

To take the first steps, you can get in touch with a trained legal adviser for free on 0800 234 6438 or fill in one of the secure online forms on this page to arrange a call back.

What causes PTSD?

PTSD can be caused by any traumatic experience when you genuinely feared for your life or felt extremely terrified.

For example, it can be caused by experiences such as:

Police, firefighters, paramedics and military personal are at particularly high risk of suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder because of the severity of some of the things they witness as part of the job.

Of the people suffering severe trauma, approximately 1 in 3 will go on to develop some form of PTSD. Psychologists do not yet understand completely why some people go on to develop PTSD whilst others don’t.

The symptoms of PTSD

The symptoms of PTSD usually appear within a few weeks of the traumatic event, but they can sometimes take up to 6 months to start.

Although it’s normal to feel anxious or distressed after a traumatic event, you might be suffering from PTSD if the feelings carry on for a long time and start to dominate your life.

The condition can be very difficult to cope with, and can leave you feeling anxious, depressed and angry, as well as suffering from waves of grief and guilt.

There are three main types of PTSD which can have different effects:

Intrusive: this is when you keep reliving the event in the form of flashbacks or nightmares. It can give you physical symptoms such as aches, pains, palpitations, headaches, panic attacks and diarrhoea.

Avoidant: occurs when you try to avoid reliving the experience by staying away from the people and places which remind you of what happened. This can also be coupled with the need to stay constantly busy to distract yourself from the unpleasant thoughts.

Hyperarousal: causes you to feel constantly alert and unable to relax, which can lead to insomnia.

DID YOU KNOW: It wasn’t until 1980 that PTSD was official classified as a mental health condition, when the American Psychiatric Association included it in their publication the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders.

How to start a PTSD compensation claim

If you’re suffering from PTSD, we know how much of an affect it can have on every part of your life. It can stop you from being able to work and can also make social interactions and relationships with loved ones difficult.

If the event which triggered your condition was caused by somebody else’s negligence, then an expert solicitor will be able to help you get compensation to pay for the treatment and support you need, as well as covering the costs your condition is likely to have in the future.

The first step is to get in touch with a trained legal adviser for free on 0800 234 6438 to find out whether you could make a claim. They’ll need to ask some questions to get a better understanding of what happened, but they’ll never push you to answer a question if you don’t feel comfortable.

After your conversation with an adviser, they can pass you on to one of their specialist solicitors if you decide you’d still like to go ahead with your claim. The solicitor will be able to talk you through the next steps before getting in contact with the negligent party and starting your case.

Your solicitor will collect evidence, such as police and hospital records, eye-witness accounts, photographic and CCTV evidence, workplace accident books and anything else which can be used to prove that the accident was caused by negligence.

How much compensation will you receive?

The amount of compensation you receive for a PTSD claim can vary from case to case.

Your compensation will be calculated based on how severe your condition is, with an amount to compensate you for any expense it’s caused – such as travel costs, medical fees, or lost wages due to time off work, both now and in the future.

Treatments for Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder

There’s a strong link between PTSD and mental health problems such as depression and anxiety, so it’s very important to get treatment as soon as you become aware that you’re suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder.

We know the treatment you need can be very expensive – that’s why your solicitor will work hard to make sure this is covered as part of the compensation you receive.

Treatments for PTSD fall into two strands: talking and non-talking. These include:

  • Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) – the therapist helps to guide you to avoid the types of thinking which cause the problem.
  • Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing (EMDR) – following the therapists moving finger with your eyes whilst recalling traumatic details of the event. This has been proven to help patients control their thoughts.
  • Group psychotherapy – this is usually used alongside CBT, especially for military personnel.
  • Medication – although they don’t cure the condition on their own, medications such as anti-depressants or diazepam can help to manage some of the symptoms in the short term.

When you submit your details, you'll be in safe hands. Our partners are National Accident Helpline (a brand of National Accident Law, a firm of personal injury solicitors regulated by the Solicitors Regulation Authority). They are the UK's leading personal injury service. Their friendly legal services advisers will call you to talk about your claim and give you free, no-obligation advice. National Accident Law may pay us a marketing fee for our services.

By submitting your personal data, you agree for your details to be sent to National Accident Law so they can contact you to discuss your claim.

If you win your case, your solicitor's success fee will be taken from the compensation you are awarded - up to a maximum of 25%. Your solicitor will discuss any fees before starting your case.