Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) Compensation Claims

What is post-traumatic stress disorder?

PTSD is a psychiatric disorder usually caused by a stressful and traumatic experience such as an accident. It is also sometimes known as post-traumatic stress syndrome.

Symptoms such as anxiety and sleeplessness are natural after a traumatic event and will usually go away within a few weeks. But when they continue beyond a month or so, though, they might be classified as PTSD. The NHS estimate that PTSD develops in about one in every three people who have a traumatic experience.

What causes PTSD?

Post-traumatic stress disorder can follow seeing or being involved in a single traumatic event. It often starts straight after the event, but symptoms sometimes take weeks, months or even years to appear. In other cases, it develops during prolonged involvement in an ongoing traumatic situation.

If you're struggling with the symptoms of PTSD, you're not alone. Many different events can cause post-traumatic stress disorder, which is more common than most people may realise: 

• Car accidents. Every year, thousands of people suffer PTSD from a car accident. Settlement for car crash PTSD compensation claims is often reached when it's clear that the accident was a result of someone else's negligence.
• Accidents at work. Workplace accidents can leave long-term psychological symptoms that are often diagnosed as PTSD.
• Military accidents. Military personnel may be able to make a claim for PTSD. Military disability compensation can include payments for mental health conditions as well as physical ones.
• Serious or life changing injuries. Regardless of the nature of the accident, PTSD compensation claims are possible if somebody else's negligence was the cause.
• Medical negligence or accidents while in hospital: Post-traumatic stress disorder claims can be made if psychological trauma occurred follow a medical negligence injury or treatment mistakes.

If you have experienced one of these events or something similar, and believe that you are suffering from PTSD as a result, call us today for free, impartial advice on or fill in our online form. If we think you might be able to claim PTSD compensation, we'll connect you with an expert solicitor from our panel for further advice and claims support.

What are the symptoms of PTSD?

People who suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder might experience a range of symptoms, as recognised in the NICE guidance on PTSD. If you are suffering from one or more of the following symptoms, you may be experiencing PTSD:

• Reliving the traumatic event. Flashbacks, nightmares and even physical symptoms such as pain and trembling are ways that someone might find themselves re-experiencing a traumatic event.
• Difficulty sleeping. People with PTSD may have difficulty getting to sleep or staying asleep. As well as nightmares, they might experience night terrors, sleepwalking or night sweats.
• Difficulty concentrating. Perhaps due to anxiety, people with PTSD often find that they struggle to concentrate on day-to-day tasks. For this reason, you should tell your doctor if you are unsure whether your PTSD will affect your driving. Memory performance may also be affected.
• Irritability and anger. Anxiety during PTSD can manifest itself as irritability and episodes of anger. Sufferers will often try to contain or hide their anger, which unfortunately can lead to self-destructive behaviour. In other cases, they may lash out at the people around them.
• Feelings of guilt. Some people feel guilty about the traumatic event, perhaps by blaming themselves for it or wondering if they could have done something to stop it.
• Social anxiety. PTSD and social anxiety disorder or social phobia often go together. This fear of social situations can be very upsetting and greatly affect a person's quality of life.
• Self-harm. Some people with PTSD turn to self-destructive behaviours, including self-harm and drug or alcohol abuse.
• Physical symptoms. PTSD sufferers have reported physical symptoms including stomach pains, headaches and chest pains.

As the Royal College of Psychiatrists points out, people often find it difficult to talk about upsetting events and feelings like these. We understand this, so our advisors will always act with sensitivity when talking through your circumstances to see if a no win no fee claim for PTSD compensation could help you.

Claiming PTSD compensation for military accidents

PTSD is often caused by the threat of serious injury or death, something people who work in the armed forces have to face on a regular basis. For this reason, PTSD is common among military personnel.

Military service doesn't come without risk but, like any employee, you have the right to expect that reasonable precautions should be taken to avoid injury where possible. Despite the principle of combat immunity, where military personnel can't claim damages for the effects of the day-to-day job, they can claim if the MOD was negligent.

If you've suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder because of your military service, then we may be able to help you to claim PTSD compensation to cover the costs and impacts. Find out more about making a military PTSD claim.

Emergency workers such as police officers, paramedics, doctors, nurses and firefighters are also more likely to experience traumatic events than the general public. As with military personnel, if negligence was involved, you may be able to make a PTSD claim for compensation.

How is PTSD diagnosed?

Upsetting after-effects of an accident often last just for a few weeks and then go away naturally. If your symptoms persist, however, your GP may ask you some questions and refer you to a mental health specialist such as a psychologist, psychiatrist or psychological therapist.

As well as a comprehensive assessment, you may be asked to go through a period of active monitoring. This involves carefully monitoring whether your symptoms improve or get worse over a few weeks.

What is the treatment for PTSD?

Several different treatments help people with post-traumatic stress disorder. These include:

• Trauma-focused cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT): This can help you come to terms with your experience. It may also ease you back into doing things you've avoided, like driving again after a road traffic accident.
• Group psychotherapy: Being in a group with PTSD sufferers lets you learn from others' experiences. This is often considered to be an appropriate form of treatment for military personnel and veterans.
• Eye movement desensitisation and reprocessing (EMDR): Patients think about their traumatic experience while keeping their eyes on the therapist's hand movements. This seems to help them process their memories and think more positively about their trauma.
• Medication: Medication such as anti-depressants can be effective in reducing PTSD symptoms. You may be encouraged to try psychological treatment first, with medication prescribed only if you don't benefit from the therapy.

PTSD is often treated successfully but sometimes NHS treatment may not be available or there may be a long waiting list for it. Some people choose to use their PTSD compensation payouts to access private treatment, especially as counselling or therapy can make a real difference in supporting your recovery.

Can I claim PTSD compensation on behalf of someone else?

You might be able to make a post-traumatic stress disorder compensation claim on behalf of another person in the following circumstances:

• On behalf of a child: You can make a claim on behalf of a minor at any point before their 18th birthday. After turning 18, they have until age 21 to settle a claim or start court proceedings themselves.
• On behalf of someone who lacks mental capacity: There are no time limits if you're claiming on behalf of someone in this situation. However, if the claimant regains capacity at any time after the accident, even for a short period, the usual three-year limit will start from that date.
• Fatal claims: If you're making a PTSD claim on behalf of a loved one, you usually have three years from the date of their passing. If you're thinking about making a fatal claim, our team can help.

Call us on and we'll discuss your situation with you, with no pressure to continue with a claim should you choose not to.

Can I claim benefits for PTSD in the UK?

In the UK, being diagnosed with PTSD can mean that you're entitled to disability benefits. However, to claim benefits for PTSD, you'll need to be assessed by a medical professional. They will be able to make a diagnosis and let you know whether you're classed as having a disability. 

According to the Equality Act 2010, for this to happen, it must have a substantial and long-term effect on your ability to carry out normal day-to-day activities. 

You might also be able to claim for:

• Universal Credit
• Income Support
• Employment and Support Allowance
• Personal Independence Payments (PIP)
• Housing Benefit
• Council Tax support 

To learn more about whether you could be eligible use the Government's official benefits calculator.

How much compensation could I claim for PTSD?

PTSD compensation amounts depend on a variety of factors and your individual circumstances. Your settlement amount will take into account the following:

• Injury type and severity.
• Recovery time.
• Medical expenses and travel costs.
• Lost earnings from time off work.
• Any lifestyle changes that you have had to make.
• Ongoing care needs.

Use our PTSD compensation calculator to get an estimate of how much you could claim today.

PTSD compensation payouts

Our Legal Operations Director, John Kushnick, explains how post-traumatic stress disorder compensation amounts are worked out:

"The Judicial College is the government department in the Ministry of Justice responsible for setting the guideline general damages amounts for all personal injury types. Instead of an overall average PTSD settlement figure, there are specific guidelines for PTSD compensation amounts in four categories:"

How can PTSD compensation help?

We can't take away the traumatic event you've experienced but we can help ease some of the pressure so that you can focus on recovering and getting your life back on track.

Compensation for PTSD can help pay for any treatment or therapy you might need and can ease the financial burden if you've had to take time off work and deal with loss of earnings. It can also highlight areas of concern to make sure any similar accident or incident doesn't happen again in the future to someone else.

To find out how we can help get you the compensation you deserve, call us free on or request a call back and one of our friendly advisors will get back to you.

How long does a PTSD claim take?

As each PTSD compensation case is unique, it's difficult to say exactly how long it will take for you to receive your payout.

exact duration depends on several factors, such as:

• The severity of your case
• Whether the other party admits or denies liability
• Whether delays occur, such as waiting for accident reports or obtaining medical records.

Your PTSD claim solicitor or legal team might be able to provide you with more information about this once they know the details of your case.

How do I start my PTSD claim with National Accident Helpline?

If you've got any questions about post-traumatic stress disorder claims, contact us for free and impartial advice on or request a call back. We'll listen to what you've been through and let you know if we think you could make a claim.

If you've got grounds to make a claim, we can connect you with a specialist PTSD solicitor and legal team. They will discuss your claim with you and advise you on the next steps.