PSYCHIATRIC INJURIES
Not all injuries caused by accidents are physical injuries. An unfortunate truth about traumatic accidents is that they can leave scars on victims that run deeper than physical wounds. Even those who were apparently uninjured physically during an accident can suffer from stress and mental trauma for a long time after the incident. These victims may be entitled to compensation for their psychiatric injuries.
Common types of psychiatric injuries associated with traumatic accidents include:
- Acute stress disorder – Sometimes referred to as “mental shock,” its symptoms include emotional detachment, emptiness, numbness, nightmares, and other signs of psychological trauma for between two days and four weeks following the trigger event, such as a car accident.
- Adjustment disorder – After a loss, such as the death of a loved one or similar life-altering event, the victim experiences behavioral changes and severe mood swings; this can sometimes lead to suicidal thoughts or behavior.
- Post-traumatic stress disorder – Also known as PTSD, those who experience it undergoes a variety of issues following life-altering or shocking events, such as severe auto accidents. This includes a changed or warped “fight or flight” response, flashbacks to the traumatic event, nightmares, severe or persistent anxiety or “bad thoughts,” outbursts of anger, guilt or depression, or a feeling of detachment or mental numbness.
Source: National Institutes of Health
Occasionally, witnesses to horrific work accidents suffer from debilitating psychiatric injuries, as well, and they may experience some of the symptoms noted above.
EMOTIONAL INJURIES CAN BE AS DAMAGING AS PHYSICAL INJURIES
Auto accidents and work accidents often leave people out of work, unable to support their family and feeling tremendous anxiety. Victims may also continue to suffer from psychiatric wounds long after the physical wounds have healed. This may take the form of depression, social withdrawal, or excessive anger or irritability. Health insurance may or may not cover treatment for emotional injuries. In either case, you may be entitled to compensation for your injuries and the attorneys at Zychowicz Law LLC, can help you get the best possible compensation you deserve.
THE DEBILITATING EFFECTS OF DEPRESSION
Although it’s not always the first thing that comes to mind when you think of injuries caused by motor vehicle and work-related accidents, depression is often a serious and debilitating for people recovering from physical injuries. Symptoms of depression present themselves in various ways, including:
- Persistent feelings of sadness or emptiness
- Unexplained crying spells
- Lack of pleasure or enjoyment in activities that normally produce joy
- Loss of appetite
- Trouble sleeping or consistently sleeping too much
- Becoming easily agitated or fidgety
- Decreased energy or fatigue
- Persistent feelings of guilt
- Lack of ability to concentrate or focus on tasks
- Inability to communicate effectively or articulate thoughts
- Thoughts that often drift to death or suicide
- Irritability over inconsequential matters
- The decrease in sex drive
Source-Mayo Clinic
Typically, a psychiatrist diagnoses major depression. Methods to determine a diagnosis include physical and psychological evaluations. If you’ve been in an auto accident and are suffering from major depression as a result, you have options that could help you get your life back on track. This includes psychotherapy, inpatient or outpatient treatment programs, and antidepressant medications. Furthermore, doctors can order procedures to treat the neurological functions that trigger clinical depression. These methods include electroconvulsive therapy and procedures that stimulate the vagus nerve (X cranial nerve), the thalamus, the globus pallidus or smaller areas of the brain via transcranial magnetic stimulation.
To speak with an injury lawyer now, call Zychowicz Law LLC, at 419-842-1166. We can answer all of your questions, and the call and the advice are free.