Life After A Car Crash: Could You Be Experiencing Ptsd
Single-incident trauma, such as a car crash, can cause post-traumatic stress disorder . Froedtert & the Medical College of Wisconsin health psychologist Terri deRoon-Cassini, PhD, reviews PTSD symptoms and discusses the importance of treatment.
Stories about people suffering from PTSD, or post-traumatic stress disorder, have become increasingly visible in todays media. Often, the stories we hear about PTSD are about soldiers returning from war. But the effects of PTSD are more far-reaching, and more common, than these stories portray.
Single-incident trauma, when a person experiences trauma or injury once, such as a car accident, and then the trauma episode is over, can cause PTSD. Although there are still many aspects about the brain we do not understand, researchers and experts across the country have found several effective methods to treat PTSD. My team, which works with patients at Froedtert & MCW adult Level I Trauma Center, has developed appropriate systems for recognizing and treating individuals with PTSD. Using research, we have developed a screening tool to help identify trauma survivors who are likely to develop PTSD or depression. Single-incident trauma survivors, such as car accident or gunshot wound survivors, may be diagnosed with PTSD if they experience a set of very specific symptoms:
Treating PTSD
Legal Help For Car Accident Victims With Ptsd
A 2019 study on 300 car accident survivors found that nearly half developed PTSD. Over 70 percent of study participants reported difficulties at work and school, while 51 percent experienced extreme problems with social functioning.
Cognitive and behavioral therapy, medication, and counseling can provide victims the skills needed to cope with and lessen the impact of PTSD.
What To Do If You Think You Have Ptsd
If you have been in a traumatic auto accident and believe you might have PTSD, you should speak with a medical professional as soon as possible. Updating your doctor about your psychological and emotional state is as important as keeping them informed of your physical well-being. Additionally, if you eventually plan to seek compensation or file a lawsuit relating to the accident, it is crucial that all of your injuries are well documented, including PTSD.
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Proving Psychological Trauma After An Accident
Despite car accidents being one of the leading causes of PTSD, it is sometimes challenging for victims to prove they are suffering from psychological trauma. Symptoms of PTSD are sometimes overlooked. Doctors and even the victims themselves will often attribute any initial feelings of anxiety or irritability to shock and normal short-term effects. If you are dismissive of your symptoms, your doctor may follow your lead and dismiss them as well, and without the testimony of an expert, receiving compensation for PTSD down the road will be difficult.
Even if you think you are fine, you should always seek an initial evaluation and you should never start by telling your doctor that you think you are fine. Let them know everything that you are feeling, even if it seems minuscule or irrelevant. If you think you are suffering from PTSD or if there is any possibility that it could develop later on, do not try to tough it out. Successfully proving PTSD after an accident will involve an evaluation and testimony from a medical professional and the longer you wait to be evaluated, the harder it will be to prove.
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Intrusive Thoughts And Memories From Ptsd
Easily the most stressful car accident PTSD symptom for victims is intrusive thoughts or memories. When victims experience intrusive thoughts or memories, they are usually of the traumatic event that caused the PTSD. Many victims describe recurring dreams or nightmares and, in severe cases, complete flashbacks of the auto accident itself, causing victims to believe the event was happening all over again.
According to the Mayo Clinic, it is common for car accident PTSD victims to experience severe emotional distress or profound physical reactions to objects, people, or situations that happen to trigger negative memories of the car accident. The best treatment for such intrusive thoughts is to speak to a trained mental health therapist to help identify what precisely is triggering them in the first place. Its only after the root causes of these intrusive memories that car accident PTSD victims can finally confront what is truly causing these fears. Some victims might be tempted to simply avoid whatever is causing such triggers, but this is a mistake. Avoidance will only increase isolation for victims at the end of the day and could even lead to further depressive patterns and habits.
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The Risk Of Ptsd After A Car Accident
Steven Gans, MD is board-certified in psychiatry and is an active supervisor, teacher, and mentor at Massachusetts General Hospital.
Motor vehicle accidents are the leading cause of post-traumatic stress disorder in the general population. Each year, there are an estimated six million MVAs in the United States, resulting in over 2.5 million injuries. According to a National Institute of Mental Health study, 39.2% of MVA survivors develop PTSD.
Treatment And Help For Victims Of Mva
After an accident, victims should demand that the at-fault driver cover the following expenses as part of any personal injury settlement. Alternatively, these expenses can be itemized and presented to a jury for its consideration in assessing damages in its verdict. What expenses can be covered in a claim for damages involving MVA-PTSD? The American Association of Family Physicians offers the following guidance to those who suffer from MVA-PTSD.
While a victims course of treatment will be designed to meet their individual needs, as a general rule, the following will likely be a part of most treatment plans for anyone who has been involved in a car crash and suffers from MVA-PTSD.
1. Professional Counseling
First, accident victims should work with their health care providers to return the victim to the same level of functioning that he or she enjoyed before they were involved in the car crash. Counseling will involve many things, including learning how symptoms may be triggered in the future and what the victim can do to lessen exposure to trigger situations.
2. Discussion of the Event
Second, the victim will need to regain control over their behaviors by discussing the car crash and sharing the details that created the traumatic condition. Family doctors and mental health specialists may both participate in the victims need to discuss what has happened to him or her.
3. Education of the Victim and their Loved Ones
4. Long-Term Recovery
5. Medication
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$85000 Ptsd Settlement With Neck Injury
A driver in Wisconsin ran into several cattle on a highway in Wisconsin. The legal investigation showed the animals escaped a fenced area that was in disrepair.
After the attorney filed a lawsuit and took two depositions, the business that owned the fence accepted liability. Their insurance company settled the PTSD lawsuit for $85,000.
By FindLaw Staff | Reviewed by Stephen Smith, Esq. | Last updated December 13, 2021
Post Traumatic Stress Disorder is a behavioral health condition often associated with those who have experienced the devastation of war. However, wartime traumas are not the only cause. Anyone can develop PTSD after experiencing or witnessing a fearful or life-threatening events like natural disasters, sexual assaults or, as addressed in this article, car accidents.
When a car accident is severe enough to cause PTSD, there are ways that you can use the legal system to recover for losses caused by the impact of PTSD on your life. Below youâll find out more about PTSD car accident compensation claims and what they may mean for you.
Triggers And Accident Trauma
Trauma such as witnessing or being involved in a road accident reveals to you how precious and precarious life is. It demonstrates that a terrible event can unfold in minutes, in ways you cant always predict or control. Its natural for this to leave you distressed and disturbed.
You may find it impossible to avoid reminders. You, your friends and your family will travel by road or walk across them daily. Potentially leaving you in a constant state of high alert for the next time. Even being around the sound of traffic could leave you hypervigilant and suffering from flashbacks.
Do you have physical challenges because of a road accident? Studies have shown that pain can feel worse due to heightened sensitivity from PTSD. Also, as one medical journal reports: Physical pain exacerbates PTSD, particularly as pain is a trauma reminder or resource loss.
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Signs Of Ptsd After A Car Accident
PTSD after a car accident begins to affect everyday life. Its not just feeling stressed or scared after the crash. Your thoughts and actions start to change.
Common feelings related to PTSD include:
- Anxiety about driving or getting into cars
- Chronic feelings of uneasiness
Someone with PTSD might change their daily routine because of avoidance symptoms.
Explore Your Compensation Options
Like most people, you have probably heard of recovering compensation for pain and suffering after a car accident. Your ongoing struggle to cope with PTSD after an accident fits into the recoverable non-economic damages portion of your compensation case. Conversely, and because it can have tangible costs, it also fits into the recoverable economic damages portion of your case. Additional damage you can recoup include:
- Current and ongoing medical bills
- Current and ongoing income loss
- Physical disability and impairment
- Property damage or destruction
Our team helps you create a carefully detailed list of your injuries and the expenses that stem from them. We also help you compile and organize the plethora of paperwork that proves your right to compensation and in what amounts.
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Ptsd After A Car Accident
According to an article published in The American Journal of Psychiatry, the rates of both acute and chronic PTSD were high for victims of serious car accidents. This means that not only did the subjects of the study meet the criteria for PTSD in the days and weeks after a crash but also after the immediate effects had faded.
PTSD can be rooted in more than one accident-related effect. Your trauma may come from the circumstances of the crash itself, whether due to the fear you felt before the moment of impact or the psychological turmoil that arose due to your injuries.
Protecting Your Ptsd Claim
If you are suffering from PTSD resulting from a car wreck, it is important that you receive professional treatment. Therapy to treat PTSD can be a slow process. Consistent evaluation of your needs is not only recommended for your health, but is also a necessary element to win these types of lawsuits and to see justice and compensation.
If you are suffering from PTSD and you skip treatments such as doctors and therapy appointments, or you stop treatment before your health issues have been resolved, the insurance company and lawyers defending the negligent party will have grounds to say your injuries must have not been that serious, and may reject requests for a fair payment of damages in your settlement.
The bottom line? Make sure you are attending all of your associated medical appointments and keeping a record of your visits.
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Increased Agitation Or Irritability
Some people with PTSD become agitated or irritated more easily than they did before the accident. You might discover that you snap at your children or spouse more often, or that you have less tolerance for things at work than usual. You might suffer anxiety over things that previously would not have caused anxiety, or you might find that you grow increasingly agitated in normally comfortable circumstances.
Reliving The Accident And Flashbacks
In some severe cases of PTSD, the car accident victim may struggle to get thoughts of the crash out of his head. He may find himself thinking about the incident over and over again, reliving it. He may look for ways that he could have avoided the accident or could prevent future accidents, or he might try to figure out who to blame for the accident. Many individuals with PTSD become obsessed with their accidents, talking about them constantly or reviewing them repeatedly.Flashbacks take that revisiting to the next level. Instead of simply remembering or going over the details of the accident, during a flashback, the victim may feel as though he or she is right back at the scene of the accident. Visual stimulus, hearing, and even touch can all go back to the accident itself. Sometimes, flashbacks trigger because of outside stimuli: a smell, sound, or sight that reminds the victim of the car accident. Other times, flashbacks may have no apparent stimulus, coming on instead due to internal stimuli.
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Causes And Symptoms Of Ptsd
First, well talk about the symptoms of PTSD so you can understand the effect it has on a person who suffers from it.
The first and most common symptom is recollection. PTSD sufferers often relive the traumatic event that they had to go through, both when theyre asleep or awake . These episodes are always unwanted and they cant always be prevented.
As a result of these episodes or even outside of the episodes a sufferer may feel like theyre anxious. They may get chills, heart palpitations, headaches, sweaty palms, dry mouth, and other symptoms of a panic attack.
Another major symptom is avoidance. Those who suffer from PTSD want to do whatever they can to avoid remembering the traumatic event which includes talking about it to counselors, family, and friends. For them, reliving the event is too painful and disturbing. Because of this, they frequently isolate themselves.
Mood swings can also happen with those who have PTSD. You can go from happy to sad very quickly, or you can experience anger, distrust, guilt, depression, or other symptoms without any real cause. Or, you can react strongly and unexpectedly to stimuli that otherwise wouldnt affect you.
So what causes PTSD?
The main trigger is a very stressful, frightening, or distressing event, according to the National Healthcare Service in the UK. It can also happen as a result of prolonged traumatic experiences.
Common Treatments Of Ptsd
Many PTSD victims seek help from doctors or therapists to manage their symptoms and help them move forward after their traffic accident. A medical professional can help you determine the best course of action, depending on the nature of your accident, your PTSD symptoms, and other factors.
According to the American Psychological Association, some common methods used for the treatment of PTSD include:
- Cognitive behavioral therapy: CBT is often used to help victims alter unhelpful thinking about their accident to develop healthier behaviors
- Exposure therapy: Prolonged exposure can help individuals confront fears gradually rather than avoiding them
- Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing : EMDR is sometimes used to help PTSD victims change the way the memory of their accident is stored in the brain
- Cognitive processing therapy: CPT can help PTSD victims create new understanding and thought patterns regarding their traumatic event
- Medication: In some cases, your doctor may recommend antidepressants or other medication to help manage your symptoms
If you believe you are suffering from PTSD symptoms after a car accident, it is a good idea to contact a health professional for diagnosis and treatment.
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How Long Does Ptsd Last After A Car Accident
Every case of post-traumatic stress disorder is different. One person may be affected for days while another person suffers for years. If you experience PTSD, theres really no way to know how long it will last.
Tragic accidents involving death or long-term disability can take much longer to recover from than anxiety-inducing fender benders. Additionally, these four common PTSD symptoms may not all remain present. For example, you may return to your normal behaviors but continue to have nightmares.
Treatment For Ptsd After A Car Accident
Because PTSD can be so different from patient to patient, it is important that doctors tailor treatment to the individual. Treatments can include therapy and medication or a combination of the two. While some cases of PTSD can be resolved more quickly than others, it is not unusual for treatment to be ongoing and weeks, if not months.
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Pain And Suffering Only Applies To Severe Cases
If your accident was a normal car crash, and not one where the opposition demonstrated gross negligence, you might be out of luck. Emotional distress is a pain and suffering type of damage. This only gets applied as a punitive measure to the most egregious cases.
In severe car accidents, youll have an easier time proving this.
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Find A Lawyer For Your Ptsd Claim
It doesnt have to be this way. An experienced car accident attorney can go to bat for you. Handling a car wreck claim is challenging enough on its own, but if youre considering doing so while battling the symptoms of PTSD, you may find yourself fighting an uphill battle. By partnering with an experienced attorney, you can ensure that your rights are being fought for while you focus on resting and recuperating.
Get started today by using our Car Accident Settlement Calculator. Itll give you a good idea of how much your case might be worth. If youre eager to connect with an experienced car wreck lawyer in your area, we can also help with that. By dialing 877-810-4067, youll reach one of our helpful employees. Theyre eager to get you on the road to redemption today.
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