Although car accidents often cause physical injuries, they can leave victims with severe emotional or mental trauma as well. In some cases, this trauma can manifest as post-traumatic stress disorder, or PTSD. Those who suffer from PTSD may not understand why they feel different, changed, or “off” after a car accident. Family physicians and mental health professionals may ultimately diagnose a crash victim with PTSD and begin providing treatment and support to help them cope with the physical, emotional, and social consequences.
If you are experiencing emotional trauma after being involved in a car accident that wasn’t your fault, get the help you need to demand the compensation and justice you deserve. Reach out to Brauns Law Accident Injury Lawyers, PC for a free initial claim evaluation to learn more about your legal rights to financial recovery for PTSD you have suffered after a car accident in Georgia.
What Is PTSD?
PTSD, or post-traumatic stress disorder, is a mental health condition that can develop after someone is involved in a highly traumatic situation. While PTSD is commonly associated with soldiers who have served in combat zones, anyone who has been through a life-threatening event, like a car accident, can develop it.
PTSD can cause a wide range of psychological and physiological symptoms. A person who suffered no physical injuries in a car accident can still experience PTSD because the condition results from being faced with the threat of severe or fatal injury. Feeling anxious or down after a car accident may not necessarily be a sign of PTSD. Instead, PTSD typically causes more debilitating symptoms that have an outsized impact on a patient’s personal and professional life.
Symptoms of PTSD
PTSD can have a wide range of symptoms. Some people have more mild symptoms that may dissipate after a few months of mental health counseling. Other people may have more severe symptoms that can last for months or even years. Some common symptoms of PTSD include:
- Nightmares and difficulty sleeping: People who suffer from PTSD after a car accident often have nightmares in which they relive the events of the car accident. The details of these nightmares can be so vivid that people may even scream or jolt themselves awake, or they may wake up in an adrenaline rush. This can disrupt restful sleep and make it hard to fall back asleep. If these nightmares continue for long enough, a patient may begin to fear falling asleep, which may make it impossible to get a good night’s rest.
- Flashbacks: Similarly, people may experience daydreams or flashbacks in which they relive the car accident in their mind’s eye for a few seconds at a time. Flashbacks may be triggered by some common stimulus, such as riding in a vehicle similar to the one involved in the accident or passing by the scene of the crash. Sometimes, flashbacks may come on suddenly without any triggering stimulus.
- Conscious or subconscious avoidance of reminders: If people experience dreams or flashbacks of the accident, they may begin consciously or subconsciously trying to avoid reminders that may trigger a flashback or nightmare. This may involve avoiding the area where the crash occurred or even avoiding riding in cars altogether.
- Agitation or irritability: People with PTSD can become more easily agitated or irritated, snap at family and friends more often, and lose their cool at seemingly trivial things. These people may also begin to experience agitation in normal, calm situations. In some cases, this increased agitation or irritability may be caused by a lack of quality sleep due to anxiety or nightmares.
- Severe depression: PTSD can also cause people to suffer severe depression, beyond simply feeling down or “blue.” Severe depression involves feelings of hopelessness or worthlessness and loss of interest in activities one previously enjoyed. People with severe depression may start to feel numb, unable or unwilling to experience any emotion, whether positive or negative.
- Guilt: PTSD can also cause car accident victims to experience feelings of guilt. If a person was driving in the accident, they might begin going over the accident in their head and wondering what they might have done differently to prevent it. Or if someone else was badly injured or killed, a person with PTSD may experience survivor’s guilt.
How to Treat PTSD After a Car Accident
If you have been diagnosed with PTSD after a car accident, your treating providers may suggest various treatments and coping mechanisms to help you manage the symptoms of PTSD. These can include:
- Adopting a solid life routine, which can help provide focus if you begin to feel anxious or hopeless. A routine can also help you keep your mind on the present instead of reliving the car accident
- Cognitive behavioral therapy, which may be prescribed to help you address your underlying symptoms, particularly debilitating symptoms such as crippling anxiety or nightmares and flashbacks
- Taking up mindfulness activities, such as keeping a journal or practicing meditation or yoga
- Returning to normal activities, which can provide a sense of normalcy if you feel like your life was turned upside down by the car accident
- Focusing on physical health, including adopting a healthy diet, staying hydrated, and exercising regularly
How Suffering from PTSD May Affect Your Car Accident Claim
If you experience PTSD after being involved in a car accident that was someone else’s fault, you could be entitled to recover compensation for the emotional, physical, and financial losses you incurred. This may include compensation for:
- Costs of mental health treatment and medications
- Loss of wages or income if you miss work while managing the symptoms of PTSD
- Emotional distress and suffering
- Loss of quality of life due to difficulties resuming activities you previously enjoyed
Contact a Car Accident Attorney for Help Getting PTSD Compensation
If you are experiencing PTSD following a car accident, Brauns Law Accident Injury Lawyers, PC can help you obtain the financial resources you need for your emotional recovery. Contact our firm today for a free, no-obligation consultation to find out how a car accident lawyer from our firm can assist you in your case.
