First, let’s get the obvious statements said and done. Car accidents can lead to serious physical injuries. These can range from multiple fractures to spinal cord injury and brain damage. Recovering from these car accident injuries is difficult to say the very least. Now, imagine fighting to recover from severe physical injuries and serious emotional trauma at the same time.
As you might expect, emotional difficulties can complicate physical injuries, making the road to recovery even longer. Why do emotional challenges like anxiety, depression and Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) arise after a car accident?
When people survive a traumatic, life-threatening event, it is difficult to predict long-term emotional side effects. Research indicates that most survivors do not suffer from mental health issues serious enough to seek out treatment. However, about 9 percent of injured car accident survivors do go on to experience serious emotional trauma.
As far as why this happens, researchers have identified several factors. The first one is the pre-existence of mental health issues or difficulty in coping with trauma. The second factor is the severity of the injuries as well as how close to death the injured victim was. The third factor involves the rate of recovery and how much support the victims receive from family and friends.
As personal injury lawyers, we have seen how emotionally challenging it can be to move forward after suffering from serious car accident injuries. Even when mental health treatment is not warranted, victims still often face at least a degree of anxiety and depression. Taking legal action can alleviate some of these feelings by helping victims regain control over the path their lives take. Please visit our Oklahoma-based legal website to learn more.
