Statement of Principles concerning acute stress disorder (Balance of Probabilities) (No. 96 of 2022) (Cth)

Statement of Principles concerning ACUTE STRESS DISORDER (Balance of Probabilities) (No. 96 of 2022) The Repatriation Medical Authority determines the following Statement of Principles under subsection 196B(3) of the Veterans' Entitlements Act 1986.

Dated 21 October 2022

The Common Seal of the Repatriation Medical Authority was affixed to this instrument at the direction of:

Professor Terence Campbell AM Chairperson

Contents 1 Name 2 Commencement 3 Authority 4 Repeal 5 Application 6 Definitions 7 Kind of injury, disease or death to which this Statement of Principles relates 8 Basis for determining the factors 9 Factors that must exist 10 Relationship to service 11 Factors referring to an injury or disease covered by another Statement of Principles Schedule 1 - Dictionary 1 Definitions................................................8

1 Name This is the Statement of Principles concerning acute stress disorder (Balance of Probabilities) (No. 96 of 2022). 2 Commencement This instrument commences on 21 November 2022. 3 Authority This instrument is made under subsection 196B(3) of the Veterans' Entitlements Act 1986. 4 Repeal The Statement of Principles concerning acute stress disorder No. 42 of 2014 (Federal Register of Legislation No. F2014L00470) made under subsections 196B(3) and (8) of the VEA is repealed. 5 Application This instrument applies to a claim to which section 120B of the VEA or section 339 of the Military Rehabilitation and Compensation Act 2004 applies. 6 Definitions The terms defined in the Schedule 1 - Dictionary have the meaning given when used in this instrument. 7 Kind of injury, disease or death to which this Statement of Principles relates (1) This Statement of Principles is about acute stress disorder and death from acute stress disorder. Meaning of acute stress disorder (2) For the purposes of this Statement of Principles, acute stress disorder means a disorder of mental health which meets the following criteria (derived from DSM-5-TR): 1. The individual is exposed to actual or threatened death, serious injury, or sexual violence in one (or more) of the following ways: (i) directly experiencing the traumatic event(s); (ii) witnessing, in person, the event(s) as it occurred to others; (iii) learning that the event(s) occurred to a close family member or close friend. In cases of actual or threatened death of a family member or friend, the event(s) must have been violent or accidental; or (iv) experiencing repeated or extreme exposure to aversive details of the traumatic event(s) (for example, first responders collecting human remains, police officers repeatedly exposed to details of child abuse). This does not apply to exposure through electronic media, television, movies, or pictures, unless this exposure is work related; and B. The presence of nine (or more) of the following symptoms from any of the five categories of intrusion, negative mood, dissociation, avoidance, and arousal, beginning or worsening after the traumatic event(s) occurred: