When assessing whether a mental disorder is 'severe' under s 93(17)(c) of the Transport Accident Act 1986 (Vic), a judge must not confine the analysis to a single spectrum focused on treatment intensity. The correct approach is to identify all relevant circumstances personal to the claimant — including symptoms, consequences, retained capacities, and treatment — and apply the statutory test as a value judgment, giving appropriate weight to each circumstance. A psychiatric disorder may be severe even where treatment has been modest, and extensive treatment does not of itself establish severity.
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