Mental Conditions Caused by Car Accidents

 Posted on December 00,0000 in Uncategorized

If you have been in a debilitating car accident, especially one in which you were not at fault, you may suffer long-lasting health effects that are more than simply physical injuries. Mental anguish, post-traumatic stress syndrome (PTSD), and phobias are sometimes experienced by survivors of serious car accidents, and these conditions can have devastating effects on a person’s livelihood and ability to pursue life as before. If conditions persist for longer than a year and carry the diagnosis of a health professional, you may actually also be able to qualify for Social Security Disability benefits as well — though it is not an easy process to qualify and retain these benefits. Alternatively, you may be able to recuperate some of the costs of mental treatments, lost time at work, and reimbursement for pain and suffering through a personal injury lawsuit after a car accident in which you were not at fault.

The issue of PTSD, anxiety, depression, and phobias after a car accident is pervasive: a recent study showed that at least 30 percent of all survivors of a nonfatal car accident experience one of the above conditions as a result of the crash. Perhaps surprisingly, the presence of the mental condition after the accident was not proportionate to the severity of the accident as serious psychological complications can arise even when the accident itself wasn’t so grave. The prevalence of these complications were seen more frequently in people who were passengers in the car at the time of the crash rather than drivers.

In addition to serious psychological conditions such as PTSD that a car accident can spur, anxiety is another condition likely experienced by survivors of accidents. This can be relatively mild, such as feeling nervous when passing the scene of the accident; or more severe, such as feeling unable to get into any moving vehicle after the incident. Even mild anxiety issues can lead to long-term stress that consequently can affect your work, your relationships, and your personal life, including sleeping and eating habits. Most of these symptoms can be treated if handled properly, but treatment can be expensive.

If you have been involved in a car accident in which you were not at fault, the most important step to resolving a personal injury claim is to seek legal counsel. Do not go through it alone. Contact an experienced Lake County accident attorney today.