Emotional Injuries Also Count As Injuries
When you file a claim after your car accident, you will include all of your injuriesincluding any emotional injuries that occurred due to the accident. Like physical injuries, PTSD can limit your enjoyment of your everyday life. Some people cannot return to their former jobs after the accident. Others may struggle to participate in activities with friends and family, or even to get into a car. These symptoms cause every bit as much difficulty as a physical injury. As such, you should include them in your claim. Talk to a car accident lawyer to determine how to include PTSD symptoms as part of the pain and suffering you deal with every day after your accident. You may also want to include any medical expenses associated with PTSD, including counseling, inpatient care if required, and any needed therapies.
Risk Factors For Stress Disorders Related To Motor Vehicle Accidents
The development of post-traumatic stress symptoms is influenced by preexisting personality characteristics, the nature of the trauma, the person’s reaction during the event and subsequent experiences . Among factors that predispose persons to PTSD are prior traumatic experiences3,13 and a history of psychiatric disorders.4,6,15
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How Do Children And Teens React To Trauma
Children and teens can have extreme reactions to trauma, but their symptoms may not be the same as those seen in adults. In young children under the age of 6, symptoms can include:
- Wetting the bed after having learned to use the toilet
- Forgetting how or being unable to talk
- Acting out the scary event during playtime
- Being unusually clingy with a parent or other adult
Older children and teens usually show symptoms more like those seen in adults. They also may develop disruptive, disrespectful, or destructive behaviors. Older children and teens may feel guilty for not preventing injury or deaths. They also may have thoughts of revenge.
For more information, see the National Institute of Mental Health brochure, Helping Children and Adolescents Cope With Disasters and Other Traumatic Events.
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Does Trauma Always Lead To Ptsd
- Several studies have shown that a majority of people will likely experience at least 1 traumatic event in their lives but many of them will NOT develop PTSD
- The chance of developing PTSD goes up if the trauma was very severe, chronic , or you were physically close to the event, that is, if the trauma happened right next to you or in front of you
- Certain traumas are more likely to lead to PTSD than others. For example, you are more likely to develop PTSD if the trauma you experienced was a rape/sexual assault, combat exposure or childhood neglect/physical abuse
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If youve been injured in a car accident, contact Integrity Spine and Orthopedics to get an evaluation and treatment. Our medical team has experience treating common car crash injuries like whiplash, concussions, soft tissue damage, fractures and spine damage.
Call us today at 904-456-0017 or fill out our online contact form to request an appointment in our Jacksonville, FL, clinic.
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Increased Risk Factors For Ptsd
- Dissociation during or immediately after the event
- History of prior trauma
- Lack of social support or resources
- Prior psychological adjustment problems
- Family history of psychopathology
Understanding the increased risk factors associated with developing PTSD is important to know following a car crash. Knowing what the potential increased risk factors are will help with seeking proper treatment. Another important part of seeking PTSD treatment following an accident is understanding the common symptoms associated with PTSD. Knowing what the common PTSD symptoms are will allow you to be proactive in seeking treatment. â
Making A Ptsd Claim For A Workplace Injury
An injury that happens at work is usually covered under a workers compensation claim. The goal of the workers compensation system is that it provides no-fault benefits to any worker injured on the job. It also insulates the employer from liability, which means the employers insurance pays the claim and the injured worker isnt permitted to sue the employer for their injuries.
A PTSD claim can be covered under workers compensation in some states.
What kinds of PTSD injuries happen in the workplace?
Workers who are exposed to particularly traumatic events are more likely to experience PTSD from a workplace event police officers, firefighters, emergency medical personnel, first responders and other people who work in high-stress or dangerous environments are at higher risk.
PTSD can also occur in someone who witnesses a tragic or frightening event at work, like seeing a fellow employee die or suffer serious injury in a workplace accident.
An employee can file a workers compensation claim for PTSD without an accompanying physical injury in some states. Each state has its own rules for when PTSD is compensable under workers compensation.
If you make a claim for workplace-related PTSD, you can receive benefits for medical treatment related to the condition, compensation for permanent mental health impairment, lost wages, and any other benefits to which youd be entitled for a physical injury through a workers compensation claim.
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Why Are Car Accidents So Confronting
Cars are a common method of transport. We travel in cars regularly and are around cars and road traffic constantly. While the threat of being involved in an accident is ever-present, the fact is that car accidents are relatively uncommon when you compare the rate of incidence with how regularly you travel in cars. However, when car accidents do occur they are shocking and unexpected.
One of the factors which may be most confronting about car accidents is that you are sitting in the car, enjoying a conversation or listening to music in one moment, and being violently struck or shunted the next moment. The sheer unexpectedness, and the shock, of your accident is part of what makes it so confronting.
Another factor might be the fact that it all seems a bit unreal – while you might drive past a car accident or see footage on the news and feel empathy for the people involved, when it is happening to you its something else entirely.
Common Factors In Car Accidents That Can Cause Ptsd
PTSD symptoms are most common in car accidents where one or more parties suffer severe personal injuries. However, that is not to say that a victim cannot suffer PTSD even when no injuries are present. The forceful impact of even a non-injury car accident can leave a victim with psychological trauma that manifests as PTSD.
There are a few types of negligence that can lead to the kind of collisions that may trigger PTSD. For example, drug-impaired and intoxicated drivers are often responsible for major car accidents that take place at high speeds. A lack of attention, control, and judgment all play a role in these kinds of accidents.
Despite the punishments that drunk and drug-impaired driving bring, far too many drivers still choose to get behind the wheel of a vehicle while intoxicated. This often results in serious car accidents with property damage, severe personal injuries, and even wrongful death. Experiencing one or more of these outcomes may produce PTSD in victims.
On the other hand, some accidents involve drivers who intentionally perform dangerous behaviors without regard for the safety of themselves or others. As information from the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration points out, drivers who follow too closely lack the space required to come to a full stop with adequate time. Failing to leave plenty of space between your vehicle and other vehicles often results in serious collisions.
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How Common Is Ptsd Following Road Traffic Accidents
A recent study concluded that physical traumas such as rape and sexual assault, childhood neglect and motorbike accidents are the most common causes of post-traumatic stress disorder. Of those involved in car accidents, 13% of consecutive admissions to A & E departments were found to meet the PTSD criteria, while a further 17% were symptomatic but did not meet the full diagnostic criteria. The study, therefore, concluded that 10% of all victims of car accidents suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder, with a substantial number of sub-threshold cases that miss formal diagnostic criteria.
The 7 Symptoms That Follow Car Accident Injuries
1. Headache
Developing headaches after an auto accident is one of the most common symptoms people have. Usually, they are completely harmless and will go away in time.
However, sometimes they can signal much more severe problems. Blood clots on the brain, and injury to your neck or head, or even a serious concussion be signaled by headaches.
If you develop headaches after an accident, it’s a good idea to see a doctor. You want to be sure it’s not a sign of a worse condition that can cause serious damage to your health.
You also need to be aware of the risk of traumatic brain injury. If you hit your head in an accident, the soft tissue of your brain may impact the hard interior skull of your head.
This could potentially cause swelling, bruising, bleeding and damage to the brain tissue.
This kind of traumatic brain injury can be life-threatening, even if you walk away from the accident with no symptoms at first.
Over time, a headache may be the first symptom you have suffered a brain injury.
2. Neck And Shoulder Pain
Pain in the neck and shoulders is typically a sign of whiplash, one of the most common injuries sustained in a car accident.
You can experience this pain right after the wreck, but sometimes the symptoms can take days to set in.
If you begin to notice pain or stiffness around your head, neck, or shoulders, make a trip to see your doctor.
Your doctor will schedule an x-ray or MRI to diagnose your injuries accurately.
3. Back Pain
6. PTSD
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What Are The Symptoms Of Ptsd
Symptoms of PTSD usually begin within 3 months of the traumatic incident, but they sometimes emerge later. To meet the criteria for PTSD, symptoms must last longer than 1 month, and they must be severe enough to interfere with aspects of daily life, such as relationships or work. The symptoms also must be unrelated to medication, substance use, or other illness.
The course of the illness varies: Although some people recover within 6 months, others have symptoms that last for a year or longer. People with PTSD often have co-occurring conditions, such as depression, substance use, or one or more anxiety disorders.
After a dangerous event, it is natural to have some symptoms or even to feel detached from the experience, as though you are observing things rather than experiencing them. A health care providersuch as a psychiatrist, psychologist, or clinical social workerwho has experience helping people with mental illnesses can determine whether symptoms meet the criteria for PTSD.
To be diagnosed with PTSD, an adult must have all of the following for at least 1 month:
- At least one re-experiencing symptom
- At least one avoidance symptom
- At least two arousal and reactivity symptoms
- At least two cognition and mood symptoms
When Is It Ptsd
As you probably noticed, there are many symptoms of PTSD, and very few people have all of them. Also, it is normal to experience times of greater anxiety in your life, particularly when you are under a lot of stress. Some of the symptoms of PTSD, such as sleep or concentration problems, for example, are also seen in other anxiety disorders. So how do you know if you might have PTSD? Here are two tips that might be helpful:
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Tip #1: If you have at least one symptom in each of the 3 categories, and your symptoms only started after a traumatic event, then you might have PTSD. If your anxiety symptoms were already present before the trauma, then it is probably not PTSD.
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Tip #2: It is normal to feel more anxious right after a trauma. But over time, these anxious feelings will settle down. Remember: not everyone who lives through a trauma will develop PTSD. But if your symptoms have been present for over one month, and you find that they are interfering significantly in your life, then you might have PTSD.
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Reliving The Accident And Flashbacks
In some severe cases of PTSD, the victim may struggle to get thoughts of the accident 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.
Treating Ptsd After A Car Accident
Psychologists, psychiatrists, and other scientists who study PTSD after motor vehicle accidents have come to a consensus on a few different treatments to help you through your struggles. They include:
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy : CBT is a form of psychological treatment that mental health professions use to treat many disorders, including PTSD. The American Psychological Association states that CBT relies on several core principles, including recognizing and unlearning harmful patterns and replacing them with healthy coping skills and mindfulness. Ultimately, CBT helps you break out of patterns related to PTSD after a car accident and face your fears.
Supportive Psychotherapy: This treatment is often used in conjunction with CBT. The goal of supportive psychotherapy for those who treat PTSD car accident victims is to help patients cope with their mental anguish and the ways it impacts their daily life. Therapists focus on providing comfort, advice, and encouragement. Additionally, supportive psychotherapy provides an outlet for those who are struggling with PTSD to vent their frustrations.
Eye movement desensitization and reprocessing : EMDR has proven effective for PTSD patients, according to the APA and World Health Organization . By tracking and guiding a patients eye movements while they recall a traumatic event, clinicians can reroute the brains associations.
Medication: While not always a long-term fix, medication can also be helpful in treating PTSD symptoms.
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Can A Car Accident Cause Delayed Injuries
Heres the scene: you were involved in a car accident recently. It was scary, and you felt a little shaken up afterward, but you walked away from the scene unharmed and feeling fine. Thats great, right? Since youre not in any pain, you must not have sustained any injuries.
Unfortunately, thats not always the case. Car accidents frequently cause delayed pain, delayed symptoms, and delayed injuries. Following a crash, you need to be vigilant about monitoring yourself for pain over the next several weeks. Keep reading to learn more about delayed injuries and how to identify them.
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.
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Consult A Personal Injury Lawyer
If you are struggling to prove how the emotional trauma you are experiencing is a result of a car accident, connecting with a personal injury lawyer can give you the edge you need to win your case. Insurance companies will try to fight personal injury claims in whatever way possible to reduce the amount they have to pay to the victim. PTSD especially can be a challenge to prove. Insurers will try to claim that your symptoms are simply the normal effects of being in an accident and will go away with time. An experienced personal injury lawyer knows how to navigate these types of claims and can help you gather the necessary evidence to receive proper compensation.
At Crossen Law Firm, our team has over 20 years of experience fighting for victims who are experiencing PTSD as a result of being in a car accident. We are dedicated to working tirelessly to get you the compensation that you deserve.Contact us today or give us a call for a free consultation. 401-8626
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The Ultimate Guide To Car Accident Ptsd Symptoms
One of the most common misconceptions about Post Traumatic Stress Disorder is that it only affects people like wounded war veterans who have suffered extreme trauma. The reality, though, is that PTSD can affect anyone at any time. No matter if youre a teacher, a fire fighter, or a librarian, if youve suffered even a minor trauma you run the risk of suffering from the ill effects of PTSD.
A traumatic event that causes PTSD for many victims is car accidents. Several studies have shown that over 25 to 33% of car accident victims experience symptoms of PTSD within a month of their vehicle accident. Victims of car accident PTSD often experience a debilitating aversion to driving or being inside of a car at all, recurring nightmares or flashbacks of the car crash, or possibly increased physical arousal, such as sensitivity to abrupt movements or excessively loud sounds. The following is a list of the most common car accident PTSD symptoms as well as the best possible methods of treatment available to auto crash victims.
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