GARP Chapter 4: Mental Health, Explained Simply

Chapter 4 covers mental health. PTSD, depression, anxiety, and alcohol or drug problems that have been accepted.

It works differently from every other chapter, and the difference is in your favour. Here is how.

Eight questions, five of which count

The assessor scores you on eight things:

Subjective distress — how bad you feel inside
Manifest distress — what a doctor can see and observe
Functional effects — sleep, memory, concentration, energy
Occupation — work
Domestic situation — home life and family
Social interaction — friends, people, going out
Leisure activities — hobbies, sport, interests
Current therapy — the treatment you are on

The first two always count.

Of the last six, only the three highest count.

The bit that is in your favour

The five numbers are added together. Straight addition.

Everywhere else in the Guide, numbers get joined through a chart that shrinks them. Not here. Here 6 plus 4 plus 4 plus 2 plus 2 is 18.

That is why mental health conditions often carry more weight than veterans expect.

Why only three of the six?

Because not every heading fits every person.

Someone who is retired cannot be scored fairly on work. Someone who lives alone cannot be scored fairly on home life. Taking the three worst makes it fair across everyone.

It also means this: you do not need to be struggling in all six areas. Three is the most that can ever count.

What this means when you are asked

Most veterans undersell it. Usually out of habit.

The assessment is about your usual state, not your worst day and not the day you happen to feel alright.

Be specific:

Sleep. How many hours. How many times you wake. Nightmares, how often.
Concentration. Can you follow a film? Read a page? Finish a job you started?
People. When did you last see a friend? Do you avoid shops, crowds, family events?
Home. Arguments, withdrawing, who does the jobs you used to do.
Work. Days lost, jobs changed, why you left.
Hobbies. What you used to do. What you do now. When you stopped.

"Not too bad" is not an answer the tables can use.

Treatment counts

The therapy table scores the treatment you are actually receiving. Medication, psychology, psychiatry, hospital admissions.

So bring the list. Names of the medications, how long you have been on them, who you see and how often.

Alcohol and drugs

The rules here are specific.

If substance abuse is accepted in its own right, it is scored on these same eight tables.
If it is not accepted separately, but it was part of your accepted psychiatric condition at the time it was accepted, it can be scored as part of that condition.
If it developed later, it has to be claimed and accepted before it can be scored.

Worth checking what is on your file.

Non-accepted mental health conditions

If you have psychiatric conditions that are not accepted, Chapter 19 gets applied and takes a share of the score back off.

This is where a clear report earns its keep. If nothing separates the accepted condition from the rest, someone will estimate the split, and the estimate will not favour you.

What this means for you

Describe an ordinary week, not your best day.
Bring your treatment list. It is one of the eight scores.
Talk about what you have stopped doing. Hobbies and friends are two of the eight.
Take someone with you if you tend to play it down. Many veterans do.
Remember the numbers are added, not shrunk. Every heading matters.

Common questions

Do I have to be bad in all six areas?

No. Only the three highest count. Three is the maximum that can ever be used.

Will a good day ruin my assessment?

It should not. The assessment is meant to reflect your usual state over the period. But say so if the day is not typical.

Does being on medication lower my score?

No. Treatment is one of the eight tables. Being on treatment is scored, not discounted.

Can PTSD and depression both be counted?

They are assessed together as your accepted psychiatric condition, using one set of eight tables. You get one psychiatric number, not two.

Next in this series

Chapter 5: brain and nerves.

Want a hand with yours?

If you have a permanent impairment assessment coming up, we do these every week. Call 0429 146 039 or email reception@vhc.org.au.