Psychiatric And Mental Health Compensation Calculator

Last Updated 2nd September 2024. This guide will look at when you might be eligible to make a personal injury claim for a mental health compensation payout. If you’ve recently been in an accident, you may have suffered a psychological injury. This could be in addition to physical injuries or by itself. If you can prove that your injury was caused by a relevant third party breaching their duty of care, you may be entitled to compensation.

In this guide, we take a look at a few examples of injuries you could suffer to your mental health following an accident, such as anxiety and post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). We will also discuss the specific eligibility criteria you must meet to be able to make a psychological injury claim. We will also look at the different heads of claim you could be awarded should your case be successful. This guide will also look at some of the benefits of making a claim with a No Win No Fee solicitor.

If you have any questions or would like help starting your claim, please speak to an advisor from our team. They’re available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, with free advice.

To talk to an advisor, you can:

Man suffering from mental health injuries speaking to a psychiatrist

Select A Section

  1. Psychiatric And Mental Health Compensation Calculator
  2. Mental Health Claim – Who Is Eligible To Claim?
  3. What Could Cause A Mental Health Injury?
  4. Is There A Time Limit When Claiming For Mental Health Compensation In The UK?
  5. Make A No Win No Fee Claim For Mental Health Damage
  6. Learn More About Using A Mental Health Compensation Calculator

Psychiatric And Mental Health Compensation Calculator

Those who can make a valid psychological injury claim may ask how much compensation they will receive and may seek out a mental health compensation calculator.

Compensation payouts for such claims vary on a case-by-case basis, so it can be hard to offer an average amount. However, we can offer more information on what your compensation could be made up of.

A typical compensation payout can potentially include two heads of compensation. These are general and special damages.

General damages provides compensation for the physical and mental health effects you have suffered due to negligence. These are just some factors that are considered under this head of claim:

  • Loss of amenity.
  • What the expected recovery period is.
  • The initial severity.

There may be an independent medical assessment which you will have to attend during the process of the claim. The reports from this might be looked at along with the compensation guidelines from the Judicial College (JCG) to determine the worth of your general damages payout.

The JCG contains varying guideline compensation brackets for varying illnesses and injuries.

Guideline Compensation Figures

It is possible for a mental health compensation payment to go up to £250,000 and beyond if it accounts for serious harm along with financial damage. Below, you can see JCG brackets for psychological injuries, though it’s worth remembering that they’re just a guide.

  • Someone with severe psychiatric damage and a very poor prognosis could receive an award in the region of £66,920 to £141,240.
  • A more optimistic prognosis, albeit in a moderately severe case, may lead to a payment in the range of £23,270 to £66,920.
  • For moderate cases of general psychological harm, the bracket is £7,150 to £23,270.
  • A payment for a less severe case will sit in the £1,880 to £7,150 range.
  • If Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is diagnosed, and it is deemed severe in nature, the payout range is £73,050 to £122,850.
  • A moderately severe PTSD case has a bracketed range of £28,250 to £73,050.
  • The JCG estimate for a moderate PTSD award is £9,980 to £28,250.
  • If you make a virtually full recovery within one to two years, the guideline figure is £4,820 to £9,980.

What Are Special Damages?

As we discussed in the previous section, there are up to two heads of compensation for mental health-related injuries. Special damages are not covered by the JCG or a mental health compensation calculator, but they could potentially form a significant portion of your total award.

Special damages account for how mental injuries affect your finances. This could include:

  • Therapy and counselling fees.
  • Travel costs.
  • A loss of earnings if you can’t work because of your suffering.

You need to produce as much evidence as possible to support your claim for a special damages payment. Receipts, invoices and bank statements are all good examples of relevant proof.

You can learn more about how a mental health compensation payout is calculated, as well as asking what you could claim for, by calling the number at the top of this page.

Mental Health Compensation – Who Is Eligible To Claim?

If you are considering using a mental health compensation calculator, it’s worth clarifying whether you have grounds to make a valid personal injury claim.

Firstly, you will need to determine whether a duty of care was owed to you. For example, you could be owed a duty of care:

  • On the roads: All road users owe each other a duty of care to use the roads in a way that prevents harm to themselves and others. To uphold this duty, they’re expected to comply with the Highway Code and the Road Traffic Act 1988.
  • In public: Those in control of public places must ensure you are reasonably safe whilst using the premises for their intended purposes under the Occupiers’ Liability Act 1957 (OLA).
  • At work: Employers have a duty of care to take all reasonably practicable steps to ensure the health and safety of their employees under the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 (HASAWA).

In order to form the basis of a valid mental health injury claim, you must be able to prove that:

  • You were owed a duty of care
  • This duty was breached
  • As a result, you suffered physical or mental injuries

To learn more about mental health claims or to find out if you could be eligible to start a claim for compensation, contact our team of advisors today.

What Could Cause A Mental Health Injury?

There are many types of accidents or other incidents which could potentially cause psychological trauma. Examples include:

  • A road traffic accident. For example, if you were crossing at a pedestrian crossing, and you were hit by a car that was speeding, meaning they were unable to come to a stop in time, this could cause you to suffer not only physical injuries but a psychological ones also.
  • An accident at work. For example, if a machine on a production line was not regularly maintained, this could cause you to suffer an arm amputation and also post-traumatic stress disorder.
  • Accidents in public. If you fell from a height in a leisure centre due to a faulty railing, this could cause you to suffer from anxiety as well as physical injuries.

It is important to remember that in order to have a valid personal injury claim, your injury must have been caused by someone breaching their duty of care towards you. Additionally, it is important to note that you can also claim for a psychological injury without having suffered a physical injury.

For more information on your eligibility to claim or whether you can use a mental health compensation calculator, you can contact our advisors for free today. You can reach our advisors either online or by calling them, and they can answer any questions you may have about the process of claiming for psychological harm.

Is There A Time Limit When Claiming For Mental Health Compensation In The UK?

Under the Limitation Act 1980, there’s usually a three-year time limit for starting a personal injury claim for mental health injuries and/or physical injuries. This time limit normally begins from the date of the incident that caused your injuries.

Under some circumstances, the time limit can work differently. If the injured party lacks the mental capacity to make their own personal injury claim, then the time limit is suspended indefinitely. A court-appointed litigation friend could make a claim on the injured party’s behalf. If, however, this does not happen, and the injured party later recovers this mental capacity, then the time limit will start from the day of recovery.

If a child has suffered psychological injuries, then the time limit will not begin for them until their 18th birthday. A claim could be made on the child’s behalf by a court-appointed litigation friend before this day comes. If this doesn’t happen, then the injured party will have three years to start their own claim once they turn 18.

If you would like to speak to an advisor to ask about your eligibility to claim compensation for mental health injuries, please contact our team today on the phone or online.

Make A No Win No Fee Claim For Mental Health Damage

A solicitor could help you through the psychiatric injury claims process by:

  • Submitting your case within the relevant time limit.
  • Gathering evidence.
  • Building your case and negotiating with the other party.

All of the solicitors on our panel can work under a Conditional Fee Agreement (CFA).

If you make your claim for mental health damage under these terms, you will pay a success fee to your solicitor if your case succeeds. This is subject to a legal cap. As such, you will receive the majority of your mental health compensation payout. If your claim fails, you are no longer required to pay your No Win No Fee lawyer this fee.

To learn if you could be eligible to work with a No Win No Fee solicitor, get in touch today. To reach an advisor, you can:

Learn More About Using A Mental Health Compensation Calculator

We hope you now have a much greater understanding of mental health compensation calculators. This also includes having more knowledge about mental health issues. However, if you wish to find out more information, check out these additional research links below.

Thank you for reading our mental health compensation calculator guide.