Last updated · General information, not legal advice
Understanding psychological injury
Psychological injury after a motor accident — anxiety, depression, PTSD-type symptoms, or acute stress reactions — is covered under the NSW CTP scheme in the same way as a physical injury, whether it exists on its own or alongside a physical injury. The scheme includes a specific category of "threshold psychological injury," broadly comparable in effect to a threshold physical injury, which limits benefits and rules out damages. Whether a psychological injury is threshold generally depends on the formal diagnosis, so a properly diagnosed, more significant psychiatric condition can fall outside that category.
Common symptoms
Symptoms can take hours or days to appear after a crash. Getting them assessed and documented early matters for your recovery — and for your claim.
- Anxiety, including specific anxiety about driving or being a passenger again
- Low mood or depressive symptoms
- Intrusive memories, flashbacks or nightmares about the accident
- Sleep disturbance
- Avoidance of driving, certain roads, or being in vehicles
- Difficulty concentrating or irritability
Free claim check
Not sure where this leaves your claim?
How we help
A free claim check can explain how a psychological injury claim generally works alongside, or separately from, a physical injury claim, and what a formal psychological or psychiatric assessment adds to your claim. Where your symptoms are significant or long-standing, we'll connect you with an independent lawyer experienced in psychological injury claims specifically.
Getting the right treatment
A formal assessment from a psychologist or psychiatrist carries real weight for a psychological injury claim, alongside your GP, who can complete the Certificate of Fitness recording your capacity. Ongoing psychological treatment supports both your recovery and the medical evidence your claim relies on. See doctors and allied health for CTP claims for help finding a provider experienced with CTP claims.
Doctors & allied health for CTP claims
Doctors & allied health
Need a doctor who understands CTP claims?
Your claim runs on medical evidence, so the doctor you see matters. If treatment is what you need, we can refer you to a doctor or allied health provider experienced with CTP claims.
- A doctor experienced with CTP claims — for diagnosis, a treatment plan and your Certificate of Fitness, which records your injuries and your capacity for work.
- Allied health such as physiotherapy, psychology and exercise physiology, for the treatment your injuries need.
- Free, with no obligation. We'll tell you if a provider we refer you to is connected with us, and you can always choose your own.
The CTP insurer generally pays for treatment that is reasonable and necessary for your accident injuries. It decides what's approved, and its decisions can be reviewed.
What matters for your claim
- 1Get a formal assessment from a psychologist or psychiatrist, not just a GP mention — this carries more weight in classification
- 2Keep a record of how symptoms affect daily life, work, and relationships
- 3Ask your treating clinician to document the connection between your symptoms and the accident clearly
- 4If symptoms are severe or significantly impairing, ask about a formal impairment assessment
- 5Continue treatment consistently — gaps can be used to argue symptoms weren't significant
Getting the right evidence
If you're experiencing ongoing anxiety, low mood, or trauma symptoms after an accident, see your GP or a psychologist — both for your wellbeing and to create the medical record your claim will rely on. If you're in crisis, contact Lifeline on 13 11 14 or, in an emergency, call 000.
This is general information, not medical or legal advice. If symptoms are severe or worsening, seek medical care straight away — call 000 in an emergency.
