Physical injury doesn’t just lead to physical pain and hardship, it also commonly causes a decline in mental health. There are many reasons for this and mental distress due to personal injury can manifest in many different ways, including:
- Depression
- PTSD
- Driving avoidance
- Panic attacks
Here is a brief summary of how physical injury affects mental health.
Inability to Work
Being unable to work due to personal injury is a very common catalyst for depression and other mental health issues. When you can’t work, it is easy to lose a sense of purpose, which negatively affects mood. Losing work also means losing a structured schedule, which increases anxiety and lowers mood.
Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder
An accident is often a traumatic event that resurfaces later in the form of panic attacks, fear, avoidance, flashbacks, and PTSD. Many people who have experienced a car accident will find it emotionally difficult to drive or get in a car again or may experience PTSD symptoms regularly.
Dealing with Major Change
If a personal injury causes major or permanent change, that change can be overwhelming and difficult to accept. For example, if someone must come to terms with the fact that they will not be able to engage in certain activities or continue with the career that they had pre-accident, this is likely to lower their mood and can lead to depression.
Coping with missing work, working through PTSD, and accepting difficult changes can require counseling, medication, and other forms of therapy. All of this becomes expensive, and you may be entitled to financial compensation to help pay for your mental distress as well as your physical suffering. Talk to a lawyer at Hoogbruin & Company today to find out more.