PTSD and Life After Traumatic Car or Truck Crashes

For many victims, car accidents aren’t over once the physical injuries heal and the scars fade. For some, the emotional and psychological damage of the crash lasts for years or even decades. One of the most serious mental health conditions you may develop after a car accident in Virginia is post-traumatic stress disorder, generally shortened to PTSD.

PTSD is not uncommon after incidents that threaten your life, cause you serious injury, or cause the death or serious injury of others. For Virginia car accident victims, understanding this condition and how it affects their recovery is a big part of the healing process. For more help with your car accident claim, call Phelan Petty Injury Lawyers today.

Understanding PTSD

Post-traumatic stress disorder is a condition that often develops after experiencing or directly witnessing a life-threatening event. It was first recognized in soldiers after returning from war, although it was then known as “shell shock.” Now, car accidents are an extremely common trigger for PTSD. They involve sudden danger, loss of life (or the potential for loss of life), and a general loss of control.

Most car accident victims feel anxious or shaken up after a crash. However, for most people, these feelings pass with time, rest, and distance from the trigger. Post-traumatic stress disorder goes beyond these feelings. Symptoms of PTSD persist or even worsen with time, interfering with an individual’s ability to return to daily life. Victims may become increasingly isolated from loved ones and the world around them. The ongoing fear of death or serious injury can leave them unable to work, drive, or feel safe anywhere.

PTSD symptoms that may follow a car accident

PTSD symptoms vary between people, but they are also fairly easy to recognize. If you’ve been involved in a car accident or you’re close to someone struggling to recover, these signs mean it’s time to seek professional help:

• Intrusion symptoms: Unwanted and distressing memories of the accident that come back repeatedly, reliving the traumatic event, and recurring nightmares about the accident
• Avoidance symptoms: Staying away from places and activities that remind you of the crash and trying not to talk or think about the event
• Negative changes in thinking and mood: Negative thoughts about yourself and the world, ongoing feelings of anger or fear, memory problems, detachment from loved ones, and loss of interest in activities you once enjoyed
• Emotional and physical reactions: Being easily startled or frightened, self-destructive behavior, sleeping too much or too little, irritability, and physical signs of fear and anxiety

Symptoms must last for more than one month to lead to a diagnosis.

How PTSD impacts daily life

Post-traumatic stress disorder has a way of creeping into every part of a victim’s life, slowly taking away everything that once made them happy. Driving anxiety is one of the most common ways PTSD manifests. Affected individuals may avoid driving near the site of the accident or avoid driving entirely. When they are able to drive, they may be plagued with anxiety.

PTSD can also have an unwelcome impact on your ability to work. It’s known to disrupt focus, decrease productivity and attendance on days where symptoms are overwhelming.

You may also find that your relationships suffer from PTSD. It’s not easy for loved ones to understand what their loved one is going through. Those who do attempt to reach their loved one and provide support may find that they are rejected or ignored, further isolating the victim. Children of PTSD patients may feel the weight of emotional changes and tension between family members, leading to their own mental health struggles.

Sleep disruption is another very common outcome of PTSD. Sleep disturbances are both a sign of PTSD and an outcome of PTSD. Unfortunately, poor sleep on its own can cause significant mental health concerns, so this aspect of PTSD can lead to other symptoms worsening.

Diagnosis and treatment

When it’s clear that symptoms are not improving with time, it is crucial for victims to seek help. If they do not seek professional help on their own, close loved ones may help them reach out to doctors and therapists. An individual may be diagnosed after symptoms persist for at least a month and interfere with their daily life.

There are many treatment options that can help car accident victims. Medication can help with some of the symptoms and put a patient in a better mental space for therapy. When it comes to therapy, there are various approaches that may be recommended. Eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR) helps reduce the intensity and frequency of reactions to triggers. Trauma-focused therapy helps victims work through trauma in a healthy and productive way. Cognitive behavioral therapy rewrites the thought patterns that keep victims stuck in thought loops that do not serve them.

PTSD and other mental health conditions after a crash

While PTSD can occur on its own, it often overlaps with other mental health conditions after a Virginia car accident. Accident victims may be diagnosed with depression, generalized anxiety disorder, panic attacks, and other disorders triggered by traumatic events.

PTSD and Virginia car accident claims

A fair car accident settlement should compensate you for all of your injuries, and that includes mental health conditions that may be caused by an accident. Compensation may be available for psychological treatment and therapy, medication expenses, lost income, and pain and suffering caused by emotional distress. While insurance companies often downplay mental health concerns after an accident, a skilled car accident attorney can help you fight for fair compensation.

Start your car accident case with Phelan Petty Injury Lawyers

Our team of car accident lawyers is here to help you get the compensation you need for medical care and mental health treatment after an accident. Take the first step now and set up a consultation. Just call us today or fill out our online contact form.