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CAR ACCIDENTS AND POST-TRAUMATIC STRESS DISORDER | The Law Offices of Smith & Gaynor, P.C.

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CAR ACCIDENTS AND POST-TRAUMATIC STRESS DISORDER

Each year, roughly 1% of the American population is involved in a serious car accident, thus leaving 3 million people with crash-related injuries. Car accidents are sudden, violent, and sometimes fatal events that no one plans on experiencing, which can be a recipe for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). If you are having a hard time handling day-to-day life after a crash, read on to determine if you may have PTSD after your accident. 

Symptoms of PTSD

Mental health professionals group symptoms of PTSD into several categories:

Hyperarousal: If you’re finding yourself full of anxiety, more likely to lash out in anger, unable to sleep, or easily startled, these may be indicative of a stress disorder

Re-Experiencing: These symptoms include having intrusive bad thoughts from the event, flashbacks, or nightmares.

Avoidance: You may need treatment if you feel compelled to stay away from places or things that remind you of the crash, you are unable to drive after the accident, you feel emotionally numb, you are unable to enjoy activities that are normally pleasant for you, or you have difficulty recalling the crash.

Treating your mental health after a car accident is important. You would never consider allowing a broken limb to heal on its own after an accident, so why would you allow your mental well-being to go untreated? Of those who experience PTSD symptoms who fail to seek treatment from a mental health professional, about half will continue to experience those symptoms for six months to a year after they arise. Early attention to these issues is important, and will result in faster healing.

You don’t need to bear the cost of therapy or medical treatments for PTSD alone. Treatment of the emotional trauma you experience after a crash can also be included among the damages you seek in a lawsuit after a car accident. Don’t allow your work or relationships to suffer after a crash. Talk to a skilled New Jersey personal injury attorney to discuss seeking damages for all your medical injuries and costs, including therapy.

If you have experienced a car accident in northern New Jersey, contact the Morristown personal injury law firm Smith & Doran for a consultation on your claims, at 973-292-0016.

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