Mental Health
Compensation Claims
Check if you can claim compensation
If mental health issues followed an accident, a traumatic event or negligent care that was not your fault, you may be able to claim mental health compensation. We handle these claims on a No Win No Fee basis and will explain your options clearly.
Regulated solicitors
Years' experience
No Win No Fee
Can you claim mental health compensation?
Yes, where two things are true. Someone else must have been at fault: a driver, an employer, a healthcare provider or another party who owed you a duty of care. And the harm to you must amount to a recognised psychiatric condition, such as post-traumatic stress disorder, depression or an anxiety disorder, rather than distress alone.
You do not need to know which side of that line you fall on before you call. Deciding whether what you are living with is likely to meet the legal threshold is our job, and an independent specialist confirms it later. If you have felt different since it happened, that is enough reason to ask.
An injury the law takes as seriously as a broken bone
A mind can be injured the same way a body can: by a crash, a fall, a frightening event, or care that went wrong. UK law has recognised psychiatric injury for decades, and compensation for it is assessed with the same seriousness as compensation for physical harm.
What makes these claims different is that the person carrying the injury often doubts it counts. If you have been telling yourself that other people have it worse, or that you should be over it by now, that is a common feeling among the people we help, and it says nothing about whether you have a claim.
workers in Great Britain reported work-related stress, depression or anxiety in 2024/25
That represents around half of all work-related ill health. If someone else’s negligence caused or worsened a recognised psychiatric condition, you may be able to claim compensation for its effects and related losses.
Mental health claims we handle
Different starting points, same two questions: was someone else at fault, and what did it do to you?
PTSD after an accident
Flashbacks, nightmares and avoidance after a crash, workplace incident or other frightening event. PTSD is one of the most clearly recognised psychiatric injuries in UK law.
Depression and anxiety after an injury
When a physical injury takes your work, independence or sleep, the psychological toll is part of the same claim, not a separate problem.
Psychiatric injury from medical negligence
Trauma from negligent care you went through yourself, including a birth that went wrong or treatment that caused you avoidable harm.
Mental health issues caused by work
Breakdown, anxiety or depression after an employer ignored clear warnings about workload, bullying or harassment. Harder claims, and we will be honest about yours.
Witnessing a traumatic event
Psychiatric injury from seeing a serious accident happen to someone close to you. The law allows these claims in defined circumstances, and we can tell you if yours fits.
An existing condition made worse
You can claim where negligence significantly worsened a mental health condition you already had. A history of depression or anxiety does not disqualify you.
The psychiatric assessment, explained honestly
Every claim of this kind rests on a report from an independent consultant psychiatrist, and for many people that appointment sounds worse than it is. It is not an interrogation, and nobody is trying to catch you out.
It is a private conversation with a specialist whose role is to understand what you were like before, what changed, and why. Their report gives your experience a clinical name and connects it to what happened, which is what turns your account into evidence.
- We arrange it for you, at a time and place that works, with a specialist suited to your condition
- The psychiatrist asks about your life before and after, your symptoms and your treatment so far
- Their written report sets out your diagnosis, its cause and your likely recovery
- You see the report and can correct anything factual before it goes anywhere
There are no wrong answers. The report can also recommend treatment, which the claim can then help fund.
- The condition itself: the fear, low mood and everything it has taken from daily life
- Therapy, counselling and psychiatric treatment, privately funded where NHS waits are long
- Income lost to time off, reduced hours or leaving a job you could no longer face
- Support with daily life, and the costs your condition has added along the way
What a mental health compensation payout covers
The amount depends on the diagnosis, how severe it is, how long recovery is expected to take and what the condition has cost you. That is why no honest solicitor will quote a figure before the psychiatric evidence is in.
What we can say early is what the claim is allowed to cover, and it is usually broader than people expect.
Evidence that carries a mental health claim
Two things need proving: that someone else was at fault, and that a diagnosable condition followed from what they did. Most of the evidence already exists; our work is drawing it together.
Never told your GP? Many people carry this silently for months before seeking help. That does not stop a claim; what matters is when the harm began, not when you first said it out loud.
No Win No Fee mental health claims
Recovery is hard enough without a legal bill attached to it. Starting a claim costs nothing, and if it does not succeed you will not pay for our work, subject to the terms of your agreement.
If it succeeds, a success fee agreed with you in advance is deducted from the compensation, and nothing about the arrangement is left to fine print you have not seen.
Talking to us commits you to nothing. You decide whether to go ahead once you know where you stand.
Frequently Asked Questions
Everything you need to know before starting your claim.
Can I claim mental health compensation?
Yes, where someone else’s negligence caused a recognised psychiatric condition such as PTSD, depression or an anxiety disorder. The negligence can be an accident, a traumatic event you were caught up in, failings at work, or poor medical care. Claims usually need to start within three years, and a free conversation with our team will tell you whether yours is worth pursuing.
Do I need a diagnosis before I contact you?
No. Many people call us before they have seen anyone about how they are feeling. The claim will eventually need a formal diagnosis, and the independent assessment we arrange provides one, but you do not need paperwork to pick up the phone. Seeing your GP is still worth doing soon, for your own recovery as much as for the claim.
How much is a mental health compensation payout?
There is no standard amount, and figures quoted online rarely survive contact with a real case. The award depends on the diagnosis, its severity, your prognosis, the treatment you need and what the condition has cost you in earnings and daily life. Two people with the same diagnosis can receive very different sums, which is why we value claims from the psychiatric evidence rather than from a table.
Can I claim for mental health issues caused by my job?
Sometimes, and we will be honest with you about the hurdle. Employers owe a duty of care for psychiatric harm, but a claim usually needs to show the harm was foreseeable and the employer failed to act: for example, you or others raised the workload, bullying or harassment, and nothing changed. These claims are harder than accident claims, which is a reason to get an honest view early, not a reason to stay silent.
Will I have to keep talking about what happened?
Less than you might fear. You will need to tell the story properly twice: once to us and once to the independent psychiatrist. Beyond that, we handle the correspondence and negotiation, and the great majority of claims settle without a court hearing. If particular details are hard for you to go over, tell us, and we will work around it wherever the process allows.
How long do I have to make a claim?
Usually three years, running from the event or from when you first connected your condition to it, which with psychiatric injury can be much later. For children, time does not start until their eighteenth birthday, and where someone lacks mental capacity the clock is paused for as long as that lasts. If you think you are out of time, check with us before deciding; the start date is often later than people assume.
Check if you can make a mental health claim
Tell us what happened and how life has been since. You do not need the right words or a diagnosis; we will ask the questions and give you an honest view, with no obligation to go ahead.
- Free, no-obligation review
- No Win No Fee available
- SRA-regulated solicitors
Check if you can make a claim
Takes less than 60 seconds
Not sure if you have a claim?
You do not have to be certain that what you are carrying counts. Tell us what happened and we will say honestly whether mental health compensation is worth pursuing, free and with no obligation. Most claims must start within three years, and with psychiatric injury that clock can start later than you think, so it costs nothing to ask.
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