Depression

At John O’Leary Solicitors LLP, we know how common it is for people across Tallaght and Dublin to struggle with depression, often silently. The truth is, many of our clients have told us they waited—sometimes for months or even years—before reaching out. Whether it’s the weight of day-to-day pressures, the shame that still surrounds mental health, or simply not knowing where to turn, that first step is hard. But it’s also the one that starts to change things.

We’re not a remote or corporate firm. We’re part of this community, and have been for over 20 years. Every person who comes through our door is met with genuine care and direct access to experienced solicitors who take the time to guide you with patience, clarity, and respect. No judgement. No rush. Just a team that listens and acts with your wellbeing in mind.

If your depression has affected your ability to work, maintain relationships, or get through the day, you may be entitled to compensation—and we can help you explore that in a way that feels comfortable and straightforward. We’ve built our reputation on being approachable, thorough, and above all, on your side. You’ll never be treated like a number here. You’ll be heard, supported, and represented by people who understand just how important it is to be treated with dignity when things feel at their lowest.

If you’re ready to talk, John O’Leary is here to listen. Contact us today for a confidential consultation with a solicitor who genuinely cares. We’re local, we’re experienced, and we’re here to help.

What Is a Depression Claim?

A depression claim is a legal action taken by someone who has suffered depression as a direct result of a traumatic event, serious injury, or negligent behaviour by another party. Unlike everyday low moods, clinical depression is a recognised mental health condition that can severely affect a person’s ability to work, socialise, or cope with daily life. When this condition stems from something that wasn’t your fault—like a serious accident, a failure in medical care, or prolonged mistreatment—you may be entitled to compensation under Irish law.

At its core, a depression claim acknowledges the mental and emotional toll that life-altering events can have. You don’t need to have suffered physical injuries to bring a claim. Many individuals who contact us are dealing with psychological harm that stands alone, while others develop depression in the aftermath of a physical injury or medical trauma.

The legal system in Ireland recognises that mental suffering is just as valid as physical injury. With the right support and evidence, it’s possible to seek accountability and secure financial relief to help you recover. If you’ve been diagnosed with depression following a difficult experience, and believe someone else’s actions or negligence played a role, it may be time to explore your legal options.

Real-world Causes of Depression Claims in Ireland

Depression can be caused by many life events, but when it arises from something that was preventable—or made worse by someone else’s failure or misconduct—it may give rise to a legal claim. At John O’Leary Solicitors LLP, we’ve worked with individuals in Tallaght and across Dublin whose depression followed deeply distressing events, often with lasting consequences.

Some of the most common causes we encounter include:

  • Road traffic accidents—particularly where individuals suffer trauma, fear, or post-accident isolation
  • Assaults or attacks, especially when injuries or lasting psychological harm are involved
  • Medical negligence, such as birth injuries, misdiagnosis, or distressing surgical complications
  • Wrongful deaths, where a family member suffers grief-related depression after the avoidable death of a loved one
  • Nursing home or care setting abuse or neglect, leading to distress in both residents and their families
  • Public accidents or catastrophic events, where someone has witnessed or experienced harm in a public setting
  • Neglect by schools, clubs, or institutions, particularly in child or adolescent cases involving bullying or harm

Each of these situations can have ripple effects that are emotional as well as physical. Depression may not show on the outside, but it can be devastating inside. If your mental health deteriorated after a serious incident and you believe it could have been avoided, you may be able to hold the responsible party to account—and we’re here to help you consider that.

Workplace-linked Depression: When Employers Fail Their Duty

Your employer has a legal and moral duty to protect your mental health—not just your physical safety. Unfortunately, many depression claims we handle involve individuals who’ve been pushed past their limits by toxic workplace conditions. Whether it’s bullying, unreasonable workloads, or a lack of proper support, the consequences can be overwhelming—and legally actionable.

We regularly advise clients who’ve suffered depression due to:

  • Persistent bullying or harassmentby a manager, colleague, or team
  • Unrelenting stressfrom excessive or unsafe workloads
  • Retaliation or exclusionafter disclosing a mental health condition
  • Lack of reasonable accommodationsfor known vulnerabilities or diagnoses
  • Negligent handling of grievances, where complaints were dismissed or ignored

These claims are not about blaming an employer for normal work stress—they’re about serious failings that led to mental collapse, breakdown, or a clinical diagnosis of depression. Many clients feel ashamed or uncertain about whether they’re “entitled” to pursue action. The answer lies in whether your employer breached their duty of care, and whether that breach contributed to your suffering.

Irish employment law recognises that workplaces must be psychologically safe. If you’ve raised concerns that were ignored—or were forced to cope in silence—we’ll listen, assess your situation, and advise on your legal options in a calm, confidential way.

Depression After Physical Injury or Medical Trauma

Depression often follows physical trauma—and not just from the pain or inconvenience of recovery. For many, a serious injury marks the beginning of emotional loss: loss of confidence, mobility, independence, or the ability to return to work or care for family. These losses can gradually develop into clinical depression, especially when the injury was unexpected, distressing, or preventable.

We regularly support individuals who experience depression after:

  • Road traffic accidentsinvolving serious or disfiguring injuries
  • Workplace accidentsthat lead to chronic pain or disability
  • Surgical complications, particularly where negligence is involved
  • Misdiagnosed conditions, especially where early treatment could have made a difference

In many of these cases, the emotional impact doesn’t appear straight away. Clients often tell us they focused on physical recovery at first—but as time went on, the reality of their new limitations set in. Some begin to experience sleep issues, persistent sadness, or hopelessness. Others struggle with guilt, anger, or isolation. These experiences are not unusual—and they’re not something you should face alone.

Irish law recognises depression as a compensable condition when it arises from negligence or injury. If your mental health has declined following a traumatic event or medical error, and you feel the emotional toll has been ignored or overlooked, we can help you assess whether a legal claim is possible.

Signs You May Have a Legal Basis for a Claim

Many people experiencing depression are unsure whether they have grounds for a legal claim. You may worry your experience isn’t “serious enough,” or that it’s just something you need to carry alone. But if your condition can be traced to someone else’s negligence or wrongful act, there may be a valid case to pursue.

You may have a basis for a claim if:

  • You’ve been diagnosed with depression following a specific traumatic event
  • Your symptoms have disrupted your work, family life, or ability to function
  • You’ve needed therapy, medication, or time off work to manage your condition
  • The cause of your depression—such as a harmful workplace, accident, or medical failure—could have been prevented
  • You raised concerns (e.g. at work or in a care setting) and were ignored or dismissed

You don’t need to be certain that a claim will succeed. You only need to feel that something serious has happened to you, and that it wasn’t your fault. From there, we can help you understand your options. Every story is different. What matters is that you’ve recognised your mental health has suffered, and you’re considering doing something about it.

How Depression Impacts Everyday Life

Depression isn’t just a diagnosis—it’s a lived reality that can slowly unravel the fabric of daily life. For many of our clients, it affects far more than mood. It interferes with work, relationships, parenting, and self-care. Often, the condition becomes invisible to others but all-consuming for the person living through it.

According to Aware’s 2024 national survey, over one in ten adults under 25 believe they are currently experiencing depression, and nearly two-thirds of those with moderate depression say they’re unable to function most days. That’s not just a mental health crisis—it’s a life-altering impairment.

Some of the most common effects include:

  • Loss of energy and motivation to complete simple tasks
  • Withdrawal from family, friends, or social activities
  • Trouble sleeping, eating, or concentrating
  • Persistent sadness, anxiety, or feelings of worthlessness
  • Difficulty parenting or meeting family responsibilities
  • Inability to continue in employment or education

Irish courts increasingly understand that mental health conditions like depression can cause genuine and lasting damage. When that damage stems from someone else’s wrongdoing or neglect, it is treated as a legally compensable injury.

If depression has altered your life in meaningful ways—and you can trace its onset to a specific event or harmful situation—it’s worth seeking legal advice. You deserve to be heard, and your experience deserves recognition.

Proving a Depression Claim: What Evidence Is Needed

Proving a depression claim involves more than describing how you feel—it means showing clear links between your condition and the event, injury, or failure that caused it. While this may seem overwhelming at first, we guide our clients through the process with sensitivity and care.

The types of evidence that can help support your claim include:

  • Medical recordsconfirming a diagnosis of depression or related conditions
  • Reports from GPs, counsellors, psychiatrists, or psychologistsdetailing symptoms, treatment, and prognosis
  • Mental health screening results, such as PHQ-9, used by Irish clinicians to assess severity
  • Documentation of medication prescribedor referrals to therapy
  • Workplace recordsshowing leave, reduced hours, or disciplinary action linked to mental health
  • Statements from friends, family, or colleaguesconfirming visible changes or the impact on your daily life
  • Personal notes or journalstracking your symptoms and how they affect your ability to function
  • Correspondencewith an employer, school, or care provider where concerns were raised or dismissed

You do not need to have all of this on hand to speak with us. Many people worry they won’t have enough evidence to be taken seriously. But depression is real, and it often leaves a clear paper trail—one we can help you identify and organise.

At John O’Leary Solicitors LLP, we understand that it’s not easy to relive difficult experiences. We’ll move at your pace, only asking for what’s needed, when it’s needed. Our job is to take the pressure off while building a strong, well-documented case that reflects the full impact of what you’ve been through.

Understanding Time Limits for Depression Claims in Ireland

Like all personal injury claims in Ireland, depression-related claims are subject to time limits. In most cases, you have two years from the date the injury occurred to begin legal proceedings. However, when it comes to depression, the starting point isn’t always clear—and that’s where the “date of knowledge” becomes important.

The “date of knowledge” is the point when you first became aware that your depression might be linked to a specific event or someone else’s actions. For example, this might be the date of a medical diagnosis, or when you realised your mental health was deteriorating after workplace harassment or a traumatic incident.

There are also exceptions. If your depression developed gradually, or if the harm was ongoing—such as in bullying or institutional abuse cases—the clock may start later. It’s also possible to extend the time limit in very specific situations, such as for minors or individuals who lacked capacity to act sooner.

The safest option is to speak to a solicitor as soon as you can. We’ll help you establish whether a claim is still possible, and if so, how best to proceed without delay.

What You May Be Able to Claim For

A successful depression claim can result in compensation for both the emotional harm you’ve experienced and the real-world consequences that come with it. These are not symbolic amounts—they are designed to reflect how your life has been disrupted, and to help you move forward with the right support in place.

Some of the most common losses that may be claimed include:

  • Loss of earnings, if you had to take extended time off work or can no longer work as before
  • Reduced future earning capacity, particularly if you’ve had to change roles or lower your hours permanently
  • Cost of treatment, including therapy, counselling, psychiatric care, and prescribed medications
  • Travel and medical expensesassociated with treatment
  • Assistance at home, if you need help with daily living tasks
  • Loss of quality of life, including the ability to enjoy hobbies, relationships, or independence
  • Emotional pain and suffering, recognised as part of your overall personal injury

We take care to assess the full picture—past, present, and future. Every claim is different, but no one’s losses should be minimised or dismissed. Whether your depression has affected your job, your relationships, or your ability to simply enjoy life, the legal system allows for that impact to be recognised and compensated fairly.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I claim for depression caused by workplace bullying even if I stayed in the job?

Yes. Many people remain in difficult work environments out of financial need. If bullying or toxic conditions contributed to a clinical diagnosis of depression, you may still have grounds to claim, even if you continued working there.

I’ve been diagnosed with depression after a traumatic birth—can this be linked to a claim?

It can. Postnatal depression linked to medical negligence, traumatic care, or a failure to intervene appropriately may give rise to a claim. We’ll assess whether the events leading to your diagnosis involved preventable harm.

What if I was already vulnerable to depression before the incident?

Pre-existing mental health conditions don’t stop you from claiming. If your depression was worsened or triggered into a clinical episode by someone’s actions or negligence, you can still pursue compensation for the impact.

Can I bring a claim on behalf of my child who is experiencing depression?

Yes. Parents or guardians can bring claims for children under 18, especially in cases involving bullying, school neglect, or traumatic events. Time limits for these cases are extended until the child turns 18.

I feel ashamed to speak up—how will I be treated?

With dignity and care. Depression still carries stigma, but our role is to listen and support you, never to judge. Every conversation is confidential and led at your pace.

Does the law in Ireland recognise depression as a legitimate injury?

Yes. Irish courts and insurers treat depression as a compensable condition when it’s supported by medical evidence and clearly linked to an incident or breach of duty.

Can financial stress from an injury or job loss be part of a depression claim?

It can. Depression claims often involve knock-on effects like debt, housing stress, or relationship breakdowns. These wider impacts are relevant when assessing how deeply the condition has disrupted your life.

Take the First Step. We’re Ready to Help

If you’re considering a depression claim, the first step is simply to talk it through. We offer calm, confidential advice from experienced solicitors who understand how hard it can be to ask for help—and how much it matters when someone listens.

Contact John O’Leary Solicitors LLP today:

Phone: 1800 80 48 48

Office: Main Street, Tallaght Village, Dublin 24

Email: info@olearysolicitors.ie

We’re local, we’re experienced, and we’re here when you’re ready.