Could mental health issue be attributed to injury on duty?

Hi,

I was medically retired in 2010 at the age of 36 having been diagnosed with recurring mental health issues (depression) I had 17 years service and so my pension was enhanced by 7 years to 24 years.

However, since being retired I have come to believe that my mental health problems are the result of the stresses of police work and working shifts, which numerous academic studies have shown to play a significant role in mental health issues.

Might it be possible for me to argue that in my case my mental health issue were the result of my work as a police officer, that I would otherwise not have experienced mental health problems had it not been for policing and shift work?

Has anyone had any experience of this, know of any other cases or have any advice?

Thank you

The short answer is yes. I was retired in 1997 on Injury Pension with what was at that time diagnosed as "severe stress related depressive illness" - it has in more recent years been identified as "complex PTSD". Your difficulty is that you appear to have accepted an "Ill Health" pension as a result of your depressive illness. I don't know whether you could now be re-examined to establish that your condition is indeed duty related - I would have thought that if you passed your probationary period and were accepted into your force as "physically and mentally able to carry out you duties" then it should be possible to establish that, in the absence of some oher causal factor, the execution of your duties is the most likely cause. I am not knowedgable in these matters - send a "personal message" to Urtica who is the most likely to be versed in the law and procedure.

Excellent.

Thank you for the advice.

Hi James,

I have sent you a pm.

Cases of UK police officers and staff taking long-term sick leave for psychological reasons have risen by 35% over the last five years, statistics obtained by BBC Radio 5 live suggest.

Now isn't that a surprise?

Police psychological sick leave up 35% in five years