Case type
Personal injury claims are the most common reason solicitors instruct a psychiatric expert witness. Whether the injury is a primary psychiatric injury (e.g. PTSD after a road traffic collision) or a secondary psychiatric reaction to physical injury, the expert's role is to address diagnosis, causation, apportionment, prognosis, treatment and functional impact in a CPR-compliant report.
A short summary plus the items below is enough for us to match an expert and confirm the deadline — you don't need the full bundle to get a quote.
Personal injury is the largest single source of psychiatric expert witness instructions in the UK. The role of the psychiatrist is to identify any recognised psychiatric injury caused or materially contributed to by the index event, to apportion that injury between the event and any pre-existing vulnerability, and to set out a realistic prognosis with and without recommended treatment.
Most claims involve PTSD, depression, anxiety, adjustment disorders or chronic pain syndromes with psychiatric overlay. We instruct only consultant psychiatrists who routinely write CPR Part 35 reports and have the court experience to defend their opinion under cross-examination.
Reports for personal injury claims are prepared under CPR Part 35, with reference to the Practice Direction 35 and the Civil Justice Council's Guidance for the Instruction of Experts in Civil Claims.
Drop any of these straight into your letter of instruction.
Assault claims, including CICA appeals, frequently involve PTSD, complex PTSD where there is a history of abuse, and depression. Reports follow the same structure as a Part 35 report, with additional attention to credibility, malingering and the impact of the criminal investigation itself on the claimant's mental state.
Catastrophic injury claims (spinal cord injury, amputation, severe burns, traumatic brain injury) require a senior psychiatric opinion that integrates with rehabilitation, neuropsychology and care reports. We routinely contribute to schedules of loss and to round-table settlement meetings alongside the wider expert team.
RTA claims account for the bulk of personal injury psychiatric work. Common presentations include PTSD, travel anxiety, specific phobia of driving, and depressive reactions to enforced lifestyle change after physical injury. Where the claim is small but the psychiatric injury is genuine, we provide a proportionate Part 35 report that addresses diagnosis, the four PTSD criteria where engaged, prognosis and indicative treatment costs.
Claims by secondary victims under the Alcock criteria (and post-Paul v Royal Wolverhampton) require careful analysis of proximity, the sudden shocking event and the resulting recognised psychiatric illness. We are familiar with the evolving case law and frame the report so the legal test is squarely addressed.
Workplace claims often combine a physical injury with significant secondary psychiatric reaction, particularly where the claimant has been off work for an extended period. We address causation, apportionment between the index event and any pre-existing vulnerability, and the realistic likelihood of return to similar work.
Tell us about your case and we'll match you to the right consultant, usually within 24 hours.
