{"id":429666,"date":"2025-12-06T22:06:23","date_gmt":"2025-12-06T22:06:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/429666\/"},"modified":"2025-12-06T22:06:23","modified_gmt":"2025-12-06T22:06:23","slug":"insurance-doctor-never-spoke-to-traumatised-former-nsw-police-officer-before-challenging-his-mental-health","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/429666\/","title":{"rendered":"Insurance doctor never spoke to traumatised former NSW Police officer before challenging his mental health"},"content":{"rendered":"<p class=\"paragraph_paragraph__iYReA\">A former NSW Police officer with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) had his mental health incorrectly challenged by a doctor who never consulted or examined him during a year-long battle with the force&#8217;s insurer.<\/p>\n<p>If you or anyone you know needs help:<\/p>\n<ul class=\"ContentAlignment_marginBottom__4H_6E ContentAlignment_overflowVisible__N2zKU\">\n<li><a class=\"Link_link__5eL5m ScreenReaderOnly_srLinkHint__OysWz Link_showVisited__C1Fea Link_showFocus__ALyv2\" href=\"https:\/\/www.lifeline.org.au\/\" data-component=\"Link\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Lifeline<\/a>\u00a0on\u00a0131 114<\/li>\n<li><a class=\"Link_link__5eL5m ScreenReaderOnly_srLinkHint__OysWz Link_showVisited__C1Fea Link_showFocus__ALyv2\" href=\"https:\/\/kidshelpline.com.au\/\" data-component=\"Link\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Kids Helpline<\/a> on 1800 551 800<\/li>\n<li><a class=\"Link_link__5eL5m ScreenReaderOnly_srLinkHint__OysWz Link_showVisited__C1Fea Link_showFocus__ALyv2\" href=\"https:\/\/www.beyondblue.org.au\/get-support\/get-immediate-support\" data-component=\"Link\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Beyond Blue<\/a> on 1300 224 636<\/li>\n<li><a class=\"Link_link__5eL5m ScreenReaderOnly_srLinkHint__OysWz Link_showVisited__C1Fea Link_showFocus__ALyv2\" href=\"https:\/\/13yarn.org.au\" data-component=\"Link\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">13 YARN<\/a> on 13 92 76<\/li>\n<li><a class=\"Link_link__5eL5m ScreenReaderOnly_srLinkHint__OysWz Link_showVisited__C1Fea Link_showFocus__ALyv2\" href=\"https:\/\/www.suicidecallbackservice.org.au\/\" data-component=\"Link\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Suicide Call Back Service<\/a> on 1300 659 467<\/li>\n<li><a class=\"Link_link__5eL5m ScreenReaderOnly_srLinkHint__OysWz Link_showVisited__C1Fea Link_showFocus__ALyv2\" href=\"https:\/\/mensline.org.au\/\" data-component=\"Link\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">MensLine Australia<\/a> on 1300 789 978<\/li>\n<li><a class=\"Link_link__5eL5m ScreenReaderOnly_srLinkHint__OysWz Link_showVisited__C1Fea Link_showFocus__ALyv2\" href=\"https:\/\/headspace.org.au\/eheadspace\/\" data-component=\"Link\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Headspace<\/a> on 1800 650 890<\/li>\n<li><a class=\"Link_link__5eL5m ScreenReaderOnly_srLinkHint__OysWz Link_showVisited__C1Fea Link_showFocus__ALyv2\" href=\"https:\/\/au.reachout.com\/\" data-component=\"Link\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">ReachOut<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a class=\"Link_link__5eL5m ScreenReaderOnly_srLinkHint__OysWz Link_showVisited__C1Fea Link_showFocus__ALyv2\" href=\"https:\/\/www.sane.org\/get-support\/sane-support-services\" data-component=\"Link\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">SANE <\/a>on 1800 187 263<\/li>\n<li>Call triple-0 if you need immediate care<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p class=\"paragraph_paragraph__iYReA\">Adam Watts was a general duties officer for 17 years before he was medically discharged with PTSD in 2012.<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph_paragraph__iYReA\">&#8220;One of the first jobs I did was [responding to] a young guy who gassed himself in the car and the mother wanted answers and I had no answers to give her,&#8221; Mr Watts said.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"EmphasisedText_quote__TE6kn\"><p>&#8220;I lost everything from policing, I lost my career, my livelihood, my health.&#8221;<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p class=\"paragraph_paragraph__iYReA\">NSW Police accepted liability for the 56-year-old&#8217;s psychological injury and he receives ongoing compensation.<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph_paragraph__iYReA\">Since retiring, his treating psychologist found the former officer continued to do &#8220;poorly&#8221;, with ongoing &#8220;nightmares of past traumas, including seeing dead bodies&#8221;.<\/p>\n<p>Doctor questioned Mr Watts&#8217;s mental health<img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Adam Watts up close, trees behind him, wearing a black shirt.\" class=\"Image_image__5tFYM ContentImage_image__DQ_cq\"  src=\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/4a31c32b70e77eeecd348f7e88828769\" loading=\"lazy\" data-component=\"Image\" data-lazy=\"true\"\/><\/p>\n<p class=\"Typography_base__sj2RP FigureCaption_text__zDxQ5 Typography_sizeMobile12__w_FPC Typography_lineHeightMobile20___U7Vr Typography_regular__WeIG6 Typography_colourInherit__dfnUx\" data-component=\"Typography\">Mr Watts was diagnosed with Graves&#8217; disease in 2019. (ABC News:\u00a0Abubakr Sajid)<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph_paragraph__iYReA\">Mr Watts was diagnosed with Graves&#8217; disease in 2019, a thyroid autoimmune condition, which can cause bulging eyes, a swollen neck and heightened anxiety.<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph_paragraph__iYReA\">After medication failed to treat his condition, his entire thyroid gland was removed in 2023 under the advice of his doctor.<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph_paragraph__iYReA\">He then claimed the $6,000 surgery bill with the police force&#8217;s insurer, Employers Mutual Limited (EML) in March that same year.<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph_paragraph__iYReA\">EML declined Mr Watts&#8217;s claim, citing his &#8220;strong family history of hyperthyroidism&#8221; but ignoring his doctor&#8217;s note that it was &#8220;possible&#8221; his condition and relapses were &#8220;triggered by severe stress and anxiety&#8221; originating from his time with the force.<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph_paragraph__iYReA\">Frustrated with the outcome, Mr Watts took the insurer to the Personal Injury Commission, where he represented himself.<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph_paragraph__iYReA\">EML&#8217;s case against Mr Watts relied entirely on the expert opinion of a doctor who never consulted or examined him.<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph_paragraph__iYReA\">Instead, the insurer&#8217;s doctor, whom the ABC will refer to as &#8216;Dr X&#8217;, provided his opinions based on Mr Watts&#8217;s medical records.<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Adam Watts, arms crossed, wearing a black shirt, standing in a park.\" class=\"Image_image__5tFYM ContentImage_image__DQ_cq\"  src=\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/da0f26b55178e69058c50abbe9e8bae7\" loading=\"lazy\" data-component=\"Image\" data-lazy=\"true\"\/><\/p>\n<p class=\"Typography_base__sj2RP FigureCaption_text__zDxQ5 Typography_sizeMobile12__w_FPC Typography_lineHeightMobile20___U7Vr Typography_regular__WeIG6 Typography_colourInherit__dfnUx\" data-component=\"Typography\">Mr Watts represented himself in the Personal Injury Commission. (ABC News:\u00a0Abubakr Sajid)<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph_paragraph__iYReA\">Dr X questioned Mr Watts&#8217;s mental health in the lead up to his diagnosis, claiming there were no notes from his doctor to indicate he was &#8220;markedly stressed leading up to the diagnosis in 2019&#8221;.<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph_paragraph__iYReA\">The commission found this argument to be incorrect based on several medical notes referring to Mr Watts&#8217;s suffering from severe anxiety, lethargy and depression in early 2019.<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph_paragraph__iYReA\">Dr X argued that the &#8220;jury was still out&#8221; on whether there was a link between stress and Graves&#8217; disease, but conceded there had been references in medical literature describing it as a &#8220;potential cause&#8221; for the past 70 years.<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph_paragraph__iYReA\">In response to the claim that Mr Watts&#8217;s condition was genetic, his treating doctor later clarified it was &#8220;the severe stress that he experienced during his time in the police force that has triggered the presentation of Graves disease&#8221;.<\/p>\n<p>Battle with insurer led former officer to &#8216;breaking point&#8217;<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph_paragraph__iYReA\">In April last year, the Personal Injury Commission sided with Mr Watts, finding &#8220;an unbroken chain of evidence&#8221; in the opinions of his treating doctors linking the two conditions of PTSD and Graves&#8217; disease.<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph_paragraph__iYReA\">The disputes officer overseeing the case saw Dr X&#8217;s submission as &#8220;brief&#8221;, &#8220;unclear&#8221; and &#8220;based upon an assumption&#8221; that was not supported by evidence.<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"NSW Police\" class=\"Image_image__5tFYM ContentImage_image__DQ_cq\"  src=\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/dfa8b172ffd3d8ad1c071dbd167047b9\" loading=\"lazy\" data-component=\"Image\" data-lazy=\"true\"\/><\/p>\n<p class=\"Typography_base__sj2RP FigureCaption_text__zDxQ5 Typography_sizeMobile12__w_FPC Typography_lineHeightMobile20___U7Vr Typography_regular__WeIG6 Typography_colourInherit__dfnUx\" data-component=\"Typography\">The Personal Injury Commission sided with Mr Watts. (AAP)<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph_paragraph__iYReA\">In a statement, EML said it was unable to comment on individual claims due to privacy reasons.<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph_paragraph__iYReA\">Thirteen months after the claim was lodged, EML was ordered to cover Mr Watts&#8217;s $6,000 surgery bill, but Mr Watts said the ordeal pushed him to his &#8220;breaking point&#8221;.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"EmphasisedText_quote__TE6kn\"><p>&#8220;It&#8217;s been just a shocking experience for me and my family and my partner and my children and I just don&#8217;t want anyone else to go through it,&#8221;<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>  he said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph_paragraph__iYReA\">Icare, which manages the NSW workers compensation scheme, said it was also unable to provide comment.<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph_paragraph__iYReA\">According to the State Insurance Regulatory Authority, doctors are not required to consult or examine claimants on behalf of insurance companies.<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph_paragraph__iYReA\">EML argued to the commission there should be no criticism on this practice as Mr Watts&#8217;s diagnosis was not contested.<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph_paragraph__iYReA\">NSW Police has been contacted for comment.<\/p>\n<p>High number of psychological injury claims<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph_paragraph__iYReA\">A recent auditor general report of NSW Police found in the five years between mid-2019 and mid-2024, psychological injury claims made up 74 per cent of the force&#8217;s compensation costs, totalling $1.75 billion compared to just 26 per cent for physical injuries.<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph_paragraph__iYReA\">Workers&#8217; compensation lawyer and spokesperson for the Australian Lawyer&#8217;s Alliance, Shane Butcher, has represented dozens of former police officers seeking compensation from EML.<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Shane Butcher in a navy suit, purple tie, glasses, in an office.\" class=\"Image_image__5tFYM ContentImage_image__DQ_cq\"  src=\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/fdfc542228ab869fb7a18b7772a3f405\" loading=\"lazy\" data-component=\"Image\" data-lazy=\"true\"\/><\/p>\n<p class=\"Typography_base__sj2RP FigureCaption_text__zDxQ5 Typography_sizeMobile12__w_FPC Typography_lineHeightMobile20___U7Vr Typography_regular__WeIG6 Typography_colourInherit__dfnUx\" data-component=\"Typography\">Mr Butcher has represented dozens of former police officers seeking compensation. (ABC News:\u00a0Abubakr Sajid)<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph_paragraph__iYReA\">Mr Butcher said many former officers felt the current compensation system &#8220;isn&#8217;t looking out for them&#8221; and that these types of disputes often &#8220;compound&#8221; their injuries.<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph_paragraph__iYReA\">&#8220;They&#8217;re suffering psychologically so they&#8217;re finding it challenging already, then they&#8217;re met with constant barriers, constantly having to retell their story, constantly asked questions,&#8221; Mr Butcher said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph_paragraph__iYReA\">Mr Butcher said EML had previously relied on evidence from a doctor who had not consulted the applicant and that it was not surprising that they lost Mr Watts&#8217;s case.<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph_paragraph__iYReA\">He said the current system was not set up to help former officers get back to some kind of work.<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph_paragraph__iYReA\">&#8220;There&#8217;s usually an assumption that they [officers] need to prove themselves \u2026 when it&#8217;s clearly stated from their treating doctors that these people are suffering significantly.&#8221;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"A former NSW Police officer with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) had his mental health incorrectly challenged by a&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":429667,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[199725,4740,199728,199727,199720,199723,199726,199724,199719,50,9309,199721,28069,199722,3811,199729,199730],"class_list":{"0":"post-429666","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-news","8":"tag-adam-watts","9":"tag-australia","10":"tag-australian-lawyers-alliance","11":"tag-eml","12":"tag-employers-mutual-limited","13":"tag-former-nsw-police-officer","14":"tag-graves-disease","15":"tag-insurance-battle","16":"tag-insurance-doctor","17":"tag-news","18":"tag-nsw-police","19":"tag-personal-injury-commission","20":"tag-post-traumatic-stress-disorder","21":"tag-psychological-injury-claims","22":"tag-ptsd","23":"tag-shane-butcher","24":"tag-workers-compensation-lawyer"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@us\/115674899747365477","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/429666","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=429666"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/429666\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/429667"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=429666"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=429666"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=429666"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}