Does PTSD come under the Equality Act?
Asked by: Betsy Kuhn | Last update: February 1, 2026Score: 4.2/5 (5 votes)
Yes, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) can come under the UK Equality Act 2010, protecting individuals from discrimination if their condition has a substantial and long-term adverse effect on normal day-to-day activities, meaning it's more than minor and lasts or is likely to last over a year, requiring employers or service providers to make reasonable adjustments.
Is PTSD covered under the Equality Act 2010?
A mental health condition is considered a disability if it has a long-term effect on your normal day-to-day activity. This is defined under the Equality Act 2010. However, PTSD is not one of the recognised conditions accepted.
Does PTSD qualify as a disability under ADA?
However, according to the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), the individualized assessment of virtually all people with PTSD will result in a determination of disability under the ADA; given its inherent nature, PTSD will almost always be found to substantially limit the major life activity of brain ...
What illnesses are covered under the Equality Act?
Check if you're disabled under the Equality Act
- have cancer, including growths that need removing before they become cancerous.
- are certified as blind, severely sight impaired, sight impaired or partially sighted.
- have multiple sclerosis.
- are HIV positive - even if you don't have any symptoms.
What category does PTSD fall under?
PTSD was included in a new category in DSM-5, Trauma- and Stressor-Related Disorders. All conditions included in this classification require exposure to a traumatic or stressful event as a diagnostic criterion.
Does Stress Qualify As A Disability Under the Equality Act 2010?
Does PTSD classify as a disability?
In the UK, the short answer is yes, it can be. Under the Equality Act 2010, PTSD can indeed be classified as a disability if it has a significant impact on your daily life. This act is a bit like an umbrella, covering various conditions that affect our day-to-day activities, including mental health issues like PTSD.
Is PTSD considered a major mental illness?
Posttraumatic Stress Disorder: A Serious Mental Illness. Just as schizophrenia and bipolar disorder are considered serious mental illnesses, so should posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), a condition whose prevalence in the United States exceeds the combined prevalences of these other two disorders.
How do I know if I am covered by the Equality Act?
To work out if you're disabled under the Equality Act, you need to check if: You have 'an impairment' - this means your physical or mental abilities are different or reduced in some way compared to most people. Your impairment makes it harder to do everyday activities. The effect of your impairment is long-term.
What conditions automatically qualify you for disability?
The types of conditions that qualify for disability listed in the Blue Book include musculoskeletal disorders, special senses and speech, respiratory disorders, cardiovascular system disorders, digestive system, genitourinary disorders, hematological disorders, skin disorders, endocrine disorders, congenital disorders ...
What laws protect people with PTSD?
The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and the Fair Employment and Housing Act (FEHA) have been amended to include chronic or episodic conditions with the intent that PTSD can trigger an employer's obligations under the laws protecting people with disabilities.
What is an example of PTSD discrimination?
Harassment of employees with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) – An employee with PTSD was forced to quit his job to avoid ongoing abuse and harassment regarding his mental health condition. The supervisor referred to the employee as a “psycho” and consistently mocked his therapy sessions for PTSD.
How difficult is it to get disability for PTSD?
Getting disability for PTSD is challenging, requiring extensive objective medical evidence proving your symptoms, stemming from a documented trauma, severely limit your ability to work consistently, showing marked issues in concentration, social interaction, adapting, or managing daily life, often with at least two years of ongoing treatment and minimal improvement despite therapy. You must prove these functional limitations prevent you from doing any substantial work, not just your past jobs, making it a rigorous process demanding thorough documentation of trauma, treatment, and daily struggles.
What evidence do I need for PTSD disability?
Evidence includes hospital records, psychiatric evaluations, or therapy or counseling notes showing documented PTSD symptoms. VA Disability Benefits Questionnaires or private psychological assessments specifically diagnosing PTSD are also strong support.
What triggers PTSD at work?
For other people, it can be triggered by a perception or realization that they aren't physically safe at work due to treacherous working conditions, exposure to COVID, violence, or another reason. PTSD can also be caused by the office culture itself, Marter noted.
Can I claim anything for PTSD?
You can make a PTSD compensation claim regardless of whether your PTSD is the only after-effect of what happened or if you also have physical injuries. As long as the accident or other incident that led to your PTSD was in the past three years and the fault of someone else, you can claim for PTSD compensation.
What disabilities are automatically covered by the Equality Act?
Some impairments automatically meet the definition from the point of diagnosis. These are cancer, HIV and Multiple Sclerosis. People registered as blind or partially sighted are also automatically regarded as disabled under the Act.
What evidence do you need to prove discrimination?
To prove discrimination, you generally need to show you belong to a protected class, were qualified for your job, suffered an adverse action (like firing, demotion, or unequal pay), and that there's a causal link between your protected status and the employer's action, often by showing similarly situated colleagues outside your class were treated better or by using evidence like biased comments, suspicious timing, or inconsistent policies. Evidence can be direct (a "smoking gun" email) or circumstantial (patterns of behavior), with comparative evidence (comparing your treatment to others) being very common.
Is anxiety a disability under the Equality Act?
A mental health condition is considered a disability if it has a long-term effect on your normal day-to-day activity. This is defined under the Equality Act 2010. Your condition is 'long term' if it lasts, or is likely to last, 12 months.
What are the 4 types of discrimination under the Equality Act?
If you're disabled. If you're disabled under the Equality Act, you're protected from all the main types of discrimination - direct discrimination, indirect discrimination, harassment and victimisation. You can check if you're disabled under the Equality Act.
What are the 5 fair reasons for dismissal under the employment Rights Act?
There are five potentially fair reasons for dismissal under the ERA: capability or qualifications, conduct, redundancy, breach of a statutory duty or restriction and “some other substantial reason” (SOSR).
What are 5 examples of unfair discrimination?
Five examples of unfair discrimination include being passed over for promotion due to race or gender (racial/gender bias), paying women less for the same job as men (unequal pay), denying reasonable accommodations for a disability (disability discrimination), harassing someone for their sexual orientation (sexual orientation discrimination), or retaliating against an employee for reporting harassment (retaliation). These actions unfairly disadvantage individuals based on protected traits rather than merit, violating laws like Title VII.
What is PTSD classified under?
PTSD is now classified in a new category, Trauma- and Stressor-Related Disorders, in which the onset of every disorder has been preceded by exposure to a traumatic or otherwise adverse environmental event. Other changes in diagnostic criteria will be described below.
Is PTSD a legal defense?
Courts have often recognized testimony about PTSD as scientifically reliable. In addition, PTSD has been recognized by appellate courts in U.S. jurisdictions as a valid basis for insanity, unconsciousness, and self-defense.
What not to do to someone with PTSD?
To support someone with PTSD, don't invalidate their experience, minimize their feelings, rush their recovery, give unsolicited advice, pressure them, or use harsh tones like yelling; instead, offer patient, non-judgmental support, respect their boundaries (like asking before touching), and validate their reality, as PTSD is a complex reaction to trauma, not a choice or weakness.