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An employee's "odd and difficult" behaviours led to personality clashes with supervisors, which in turn aggravated his bipolar disorder and rendered his employer liable for workers' compensation, a commission has ruled.

The employee might have misperceived some events as an "attack" on him personally, but the evidence clearly showed he became more and more distressed by these and other work-related stressors over time, NSW Personal Injury Commission Member Michael Moore found.

The PSGA Pty Ltd security guard sought compensation for the development or aggravation of his bipolar mood disorder in May 2020. But the employer denied liability, arguing employment wasn't a substantial contributing factor, and pointing to his medical history of drug use and a non-work-related incident of psychosis in 2018.

In applying to the Commission to resolve a dispute, the employee claimed his injury was caused by numerous work-related factors...