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Everyone knows that car accidents can cause mild to severe physical injury, but did you know that these accidents also cause emotional trauma? Your emotional and psychological state are impacted after a wreck, making it vital that you know how to care for your wellbeing in the following months. Here’s what you need to know.
The Impact of Emotional Trauma
Accidents can throw your daily life for a loop, but there are also times when emotional trauma takes on the form of life-altering symptoms. In some cases, these symptoms are related to a brain injury. In others, they are simply a person’s emotional response to the incident. Survivors often experience the following:
- High levels of stress
- Resurging anger
- Embarrasment
- Depression
- Nervousness
- Constant uneasiness
- Anxiety
- Panic attacks
- Worry and fear
- Mood swings
- Chronic fatigue
- Loss of appetite
- Shock
It’s a long list of symptoms, but its important to remember that an individual can experience one, some, or all of them after an accident. Reliving the incident in the form of flashbacks or nightmares is also common and may be a sign of mild Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). If PTSD progresses, avoidance behaviors and isolation begin to take place.
Being afraid of driving again is also common. Some people experience this fear to the point where they are unable to get behind the wheel without having a panic attack. Others might refuse to get in the car with another driver for the same reason.
Treating Emotional Trauma
Most survivors of an accident are unaware of their symptoms for weeks or months to come, which can make them difficult to identify and treat. This mostly happens as people focus on treating their physical injuries.
While some emotional disturbance is a normal reaction, trauma becomes an issue as it begins to impact daily life. If you or someone you know is suffering from the symptoms of emotional trauma, then it’s essential that you seek help as soon as possible to let the healing process begin.
Therapy is often the best course of action. There are a wide variety of highly effective treatments, most of which never involve medication. Speak with your primary care physician, they can help you find a therapist that works with your routines and preferences.
Seeking Compensation
Just like physical injuries, emotional trauma entitles you to compensation when an accident was another driver’s fault. You won’t be able to get this from your insurance company, though. It takes a skilled lawyer to fight for your rights when you’re suffering from emotional trauma, like this Bay Area car accident attorney.
Let your lawyer know you want to sue for both the physical and emotional damages caused by the accident. They can use any treatments, therapies, and appointments to prove that you are dealing with symptoms of trauma or PTSD in court.
Since emotional trauma can impact your daily life, that compensation can help take care of everything from the cost of therapy to any work you may have missed as a result of your symptoms. Don’t settle or let your finances suffer. Get the compensation you deserve.
