Post-traumatic stress disorder, or PTSD, is more common than many people assume it to be. People suffering from this disorder, whether it be permanent or over a period of a few years, often developed it after an incident that caused them great, unexpected and sudden pain, such as a severe accident, or as the consequence of long-term abuse or neglect.
Regardless of what triggered the disorder, the symptoms are serious and can impact all aspects of a person’s life. Following a personal injury accident, people often have to deal with physical injuries, but alongside those, many are also faced with psychological injuries that can oftentimes be even tougher to deal with. From depression and anxiety, over chronic pain syndrome and traumatic brain injury, there are many types of mental trauma which can result from an accident. However, the most common one is PTSD. Having a good personal injury lawyer in Red Deer can help you get the right legal assistance. They work with you at every step to ensure that you get the legal assistance you need.
What Is Post Traumatic Stress Disorder?
PTSD is a mental illness which roots in the exposure to a traumatic event, whether it be as a witness or through first-hand experience. There is no clear-cut answer as to why some people develop PTSD while others who have undergone the same experience do not. However, we do know that death, or the threat of death, as well as severe injury, sexual violence, long term neglect, and abuse can lead to PTSD in victims.
If symptoms are downplayed and ignored and thus left untreated, the consequences can include: a dependency on drugs and/or alcohol, depression, physical health problems, and suicidal thoughts.The first signs of PTSD can already develop within mere hours of the traumatic event, but also set in as late as years later, especially if the victim’s suffering lasted for a long time as is often the case with neglect and abuse experienced at the hands of a parent or a spouse. The symptoms of PTSD include:
• generalized anxiety
• irritability
• nightmares and insomnia
• flashbacks
• sudden and intense fear of driving
In cases of a sudden accident, the victims’ initial response is often disbelief and shock, followed by anger, worry, or intense anxiety. The fear of a repeat of the accident is also extremely common and often leads to victims avoiding situations similar to the one they were in leading up the accident, i.e. refusing to get in a car after a car accident, or avoiding going out alone, if they were mugged on the street.