Skip to content 
Psychological Injury After A Personal Data Breach Claims Specialists
Learn how you could claim compensation for a psychological injury after a personal data breach with the help of one of our expert No Win No Fee solicitors.
£85 million in compensation
Psychological Injury After A Personal Data Breach Claims Specialists
Learn how you could claim compensation for a psychological injury after a personal data breach with the help of one of our expert No Win No Fee solicitors.
Can I Claim For Psychological Injury After A Personal Data Breach?
Everyone has the reasonable expectation that their personal data will be handled securely in line with data protection laws. Therefore, having your personal data compromised without your consent can be extremely shocking and distressing. This blatant breach of trust could have negative affects on your mental health, as well as your finances. It’s natural to feel a sense of betrayal towards an organisation and to wish for accountability. If you have experienced a psychological injury after a personal data breach, our helpful team are here to help you achieve a sense of justice.
Key Takeaways
- According to a study by Gov.UK in 2025, individuals who suffered ransomware attacks commonly suffered from severe reputational impacts, a reduced confidence and a future avoidance of using online services.
- Around 43% of businesses and 30% of charities experienced security breaches between 2024 and 2025 according to Gov.UK.
- A personal data breach can lead to anxiety, depression, vulnerability and a sense of violation, making it difficult to cope with everyday life.
- A personal data breach could include any information that could be used to identify you, such as your name, address, political opinion and race.
- Personal data breaches could be avoided by using strong passwords with multi-factor authentication, ensuring software is updated and increasing security awareness through education.
At JF Law, we understand that the process of starting a compensation claim can be daunting. Fortunately, our helpful team are here to navigate you through every step of the process, ensuring you are kept well-informed. Following a free case check, an advisor could connect you with one of our No Win No Fee solicitors. With decades of combined experience, our solicitors are ready to help you pursue the compensation that you deserve. Please get in touch with our friendly team today:
- Call us on 0151 375 9916
- Contact us by filling out our online form
Can I Claim For A Psychological Injury After A Personal Data Breach?
Yes, you could claim for a psychological injury after a personal data breach if you can prove that your data was wrongfully exposed due to an organisation not adhering to data protection laws. Please see the following requirements that must be fulfilled in further detail:
- An organisation failed to comply with data protection laws
- The data breach affected your personal data
- You suffered harm as a result of the breach
The UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR) and the Data Protection Act 2018 (DPA) sit as the fundamental laws for how personal data should be protected when it’s being processed. Therefore, if an organisation fails to adhere to such data protection laws and you suffer harm as a result, you could make a personal data breach claim.
Personal data could be any type of information that could be used to identify you such as:
- Your name
- Your date of birth
- Your address
Moreover, special category data is sensitive information that requires extra protections. This type of information includes data that reveals:
- A racial or ethnic origin
- Political opinions
- Religious or philosophical beliefs
- Trade union memberships
A data breach is classed as a security incident which affects the integrity, confidentially or availability of personal data.
To learn whether you have a valid claim, please contact one of our friendly advisors today.
Mental Health Conditions Affected By Data Breaches
Data breaches can result in various mental health conditions such as anxiety and depression. Sustaining a psychological injury after a personal data breach can also worsen any pre-existing conditions, as well as endangering individuals in vulnerable situations. Please see below examples of mental health conditions that can be affected by data breaches:
Anxiety After A Data Breach
You may develop anxiety after a data breach due to feelings of vulnerability and fear of future harm. Generalised anxiety disorder (GAD) is a type of anxiety that may develop due to a data breach, causing anxiousness over many everyday situations. Physical symptoms can also arise such as tingling, nausea, dizziness and heart palpitations. Data breaches can also cause social anxiety and are often characterised by an overwhelming fear of social situations.
Stress After A Data Breach
Stress can arise after a data breach due to a sense of a loss of control over your personal information. Whilst low levels of stress are normal, high levels of ongoing stress may result after a data breach, making it difficult to perform everyday tasks. Stress can therefore manifest as worries about your financial information being breached, or relationship issues caused by leaked information. Stress can also result after a data compromise due to the breach of trust you experienced with an organisation, creating a sense of constant fear.
PTSD After A Data Breach
Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) could develop after a data breach due to a persistent feeling of danger after an incident. PTSD is often characterised by flashbacks, nightmares and irritability due to a distressing event. Suffering a personal data breach could place you in this danger, especially if the information breached was highly sensitive in nature. This may include a bank data breach, information regarding sexual abuse or your workplace.
Depression After A Data Breach
Exposure of your personal information could lead to depression, often accompanied with feelings of hopelessness, low self-esteem, guilt and a lack of enjoyment. Occasional episodes of depression could also be made worse by a data breach, creating feeling of isolation and mistrust. Depression following a data breach can be caused by a leak of your financial information, leading to persistent feelings of frustration and upset.
If you’ve experienced any mental health conditions as a result of a personal data breach, please contact our advisors for a conversation today.
Established, Experienced, Dependable, Responsive and Committed
We strive to provide the highest level of service possible. Our sole aim is to get you the best result we can and one you’re satisfied with. Get in touch today to find out how we can help you.
How Long Do I Have To Make A Data Breach Claim?
You will generally have up to 6 years to start a data breach claim.
To see whether you may still have enough time to start your personal data breach claim you can contact our advisors. They can also offer you free advice and answer any additional questions you may have about the claiming process.
What Do I Need To Claim After A Personal Data Breach?
After a personal data breach, you will need evidence that demonstrates what personal data was breached, how this happened, and the harm you suffered.
As such, you could provide evidence in the following forms:
- A copy of your medical records. If you experienced a psychological injury after a data breach, you may have sought medical attention. By providing a copy of your medical records, this acts as an official document to confirm the mental harm you suffered.
- Correspondence with the organisation who breached your personal data. This could be a letter of notification informing you that a breach has occurred.
- Financial evidence that relate to any financial losses you may have suffered. This may include receipts, invoices and payslips.
- The findings of a report from the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO). The ICO are an independent regulator for data rights who can investigate organisations; the findings of this report can therefore provide vital evidence.
If you’re connected with one of our expert No Win No Fee solicitors, they could help to gather evidence on your behalf. For a free case check today, please get in touch with our advisors.
We pride ourselves
on providing the best service
possible for our clients.
We pride ourselves on providing the best service possible for our clients.
What Could You Claim If A Data Breach Caused Mental Health Problems?
You could claim for two types of damages if a data breach caused mental health problems such as:
- Material damage – This ultimately correlates to any financial losses you may have experienced due to a data breach such as a loss of earnings. Moreover, your credit card details could be compromised, resulting in monetary losses.
- Non-material damage – This relates to any psychological injuries you may have suffered due to the personal data breach. This can include any of the aforementioned mental health conditions such as anxiety, PTSD and depression.
The Judicial College Guidelines (JCG) are commonly referred to by legal professionals as they provide compensation guidelines for many mental health issues. The values in the table below have been taken from the JCG, apart from the top entry. Please note that they are merely guidelines and do not guarantee how much you could receive:
| Type of Harm | Notes | Compensation Pay-out |
|---|---|---|
| Severe Mental Harm And Financial Losses | Severe psychological harm with material damage such as lost earnings and medical expenses | Up to £500,000+ |
| Severe Psychiatric Damage | Any future vulnerability and prognosis will be taken into account | £66,920 to £141,240 |
| Moderately Severe Psychiatric Damage | The prognosis will be much more optimistic than above, however there will be an effect on employment prospects and relationships with family | £23,270 to £66,920 |
| Moderate Psychiatric Damage | With a marked improvement by trial and with a good prognosis period | £7,150 to £23,270 |
| Less Severe Psychiatric Damage | The level of award will depend on the time length of the disability and the extent to which sleep was affected | £1,880 to £7,150 |
| Severe PTSD | Permanent effects preventing a person from working or at least not at the pre-trauma level | £73,050 to £122,850 |
| Moderately Severe PTSD | Involving a better prognosis with some professional help, yet there is still a likelihood for a significant disability | £28,250 to £73,050 |
| Moderate PTSD | Where the injured person will have mostly recovered and without any grossly disabling affects | £9,980 to £28,250 |
| Less Severe PTSD | A full recovery may have been made within one or two years, with only minor symptoms that may persist | £4,820 to £9,980 |
If you’re still wondering how much you could receive following a psychological injury after a personal data breach, please contact our team. You could receive a free compensation evaluation, friendly advice and a case assessment.
Speak To An Expert If Your Mental Health Problems Were Made Worse By A Data Breach
If your mental health problems were made worse by a data breach, our advisory team is available to offer advice and help you. Working around the clock, our advisors are dedicated to providing a personalised service to people just like you. You could also be connected with one of our experienced No Win No Fee solicitors to start your psychological injury after a personal data breach claim. Our talented solicitors work diligently to prioritise the health and wellbeing of clients, giving advice and offering support throughout the process. By working under a Conditional Fee Agreement (CFA), the following will apply:
- You won’t pay anything for your solicitor’s services prior to the claim or as it is underway
- If your claim is not a success, you will not pay your solicitor for their services
- If your claim is a success, you will need to pay a success fee to your solicitor. The percentage of this fee will be capped by law, and will be subtracted from your compensation. As such, you’ll always receive the bulk of your award.
If you’re connected with one of our solicitors, you can expect the following benefits:
- Advice that strictly adheres to the rules of confidentiality
- Regular updates so you always know where your case stands
- Explaining any legal terminology used
- Help with signing documents
- Arrangement of counselling sessions to aid any mental suffering
- Negotiations with the defendant to achieve a settlement that best reflects your pain and suffering.
To learn more about the advantages of a Conditional Fee Agreement, please get in touch with our team today.
Contact JF Law
To learn more about how to claim compensation for a psychological injury after a personal data breach, please feel free to get in touch with our team today:
- Call us on 0151 375 9916
- Contact us by filling out our online form
Learn More
To learn more about personal data breach claims, please see some of our other guides:
- Get help with making a claim for council data breach compensation
- See the following advice on making an NHS data breach compensation claim
- Learn about whether compensation is taxable
Additional external resources:
- Find out what data an organisation has about you from Gov.UK
- Learn about the different mental health services available from the NHS
- See the following advice on how to make a complaint to the ICO
Thank you for reading our useful guide on how to claim for a psychological injury after a personal data breach.
Our Latest Customer Reviews
AS SEEN ON
Contact Us
Our helpline is open 24 hours a day, 7 days per week.
All calls are free and there’s no pressure whatsoever to proceed with a compensation claim.
If you write to us, we aim to respond within an hour or two, and no more than a few hours.
Request a Callback
