Has a personal injury incident worsened your mental health issues? Personal injuries can have a seriously damaging financial, physical, and psychological impact. It might even result in PTSD. And due to these reasons, the theoretical understanding of PTSD has grown more intricate over the past 20 years. Earlier, experts viewed it as a condition caused by traumatic fear; now, it is viewed as an emotionally disordered reaction to loss, pain, and suffering.

Overview of PTSD:

1. Some people develop PTSD, a mental health illness, after experiencing or witnessing a trauma, i.e., a situation that endangers their safety, the safety of those around them, or both. PTSD can impair a person’s ability for daily tasks, employment, and relationships with friends and family.

2. Vivid flashbacks, avoidance, hyperarousal and negative mood swings are the primary symptoms of PTSD. It becomes complex PTSD when it couples up with anxiety, stress, substance abuse and depression.

3. Following a traumatic event, it’s entirely normal for people to experience these symptoms. But if these symptoms don’t heal on their own and disappear with assistance from friends and family, expert assistance is recommended. There are numerous self-help techniques that you can use to combat PTSD.

For better understanding → PTSD 101: Post Traumatic Stress Disorder Complete Guide

Revisiting The Definition of Trauma

The definition of trauma has been revised over and over again. At first, trauma used to be restricted to war soldiers and the military. However, with increased awareness, experts related trauma to losing a loved one, death and grief suppression. In the present-day scenario, we see that the COVID-19 pandemic itself became a traumatic experience for everyone globally. So, by just following the definition drawn on the Freudian theory in the 1990s, the model of trauma imagines

An extreme experience that pushes the boundaries of language and have the capacities to rupture the meaning altogether.

However, according to this trauma model, suffering is unrepresentable. Other significant factors in this model are human threshold, tolerance and response to a distressing event. These factors vary greatly and change from human to human. Therefore, any incident that violates a person’s sense of security, endangers their safety, and puts them in a fight, flight or freeze mode, falls under the umbrella of trauma.

Personal Injury Can Cause PTSD

In addition to earlier examples of trauma, personal injury cases, including car accidents, data breach incidents, bicycle accidents, workplace accidents, housing disrepair, etc., are equally likely to become traumatic experiences for humans. You never know what might shatter the sense of security for humans around you. Once someone’s sense of security is violated, they start reacting towards threats with a proactive attitude.

These proactive measures usually include fear, avoidance, hyperarousal, disengagement, fright, and negative mood swings. Sometimes, they may even trigger their past experiences, putting them back in a place from where they are running away. These proactive measures are the signs of PTSD following a traumatic experience that caused distress and shattered your sense of security.

This blog will discuss personal injury events that may or may not lead to PTSD.

Our advice is always to observe yourself closely and if you notice any of these signs, consult our trauma psychologists for an expert opinion. So, without further ado, let’s get going:

1. Road Traffic Accidents Can Lead To PTSD

1 in 10 car accident victims experience post traumatic stress disorder, reports Blackwater Law. Any serious car accident would traumatise you because the event can be terrifying. If you or other survivors are in a life-threatening car accident or one that results in fatalities, your risk of developing PTSD is increased.

Even if the accident was entirely out of the driver’s control, they could still hold themselves accountable. The accident may traumatise passengers, making them reluctant to ride in a car or even try driving themselves again. Even the witnesses are at risk of developing post-traumatic stress disorder symptoms due to witnessing a traumatic event. Symptoms of PTSD may include:

• Despondency, guilt and irritability
• Anxiety, nervousness and stress
• Vulnerability, numbness and avoidance behaviours
• Flashbacks and nightmares – reliving the car accident
• Interruptions to previous routines and lifestyle

Noticing any symptoms? Book an appointment now!

2. Housing Disrepair Can Lead To PTSD

They say, “there is no place like home“, but what if your home is the reason behind your depreciating mental health? An estimated 22% people reside in subpar housing, and more than a fifth of adults say that housing issues have negatively impacted their physical or mental health.

It is no longer acceptable to tell someone to “pull themselves together.” A growing awareness of the value of good mental health has made it possible for government agencies and the legal system to comprehend these problems better.

Since residents have to compromise their mental health, legal agencies assist those living in unfit homes. You no longer have to grin and bear it if you are trapped in a housing situation that makes you sick. The symptoms of PTSD developed due to poor housing conditions include:

• Physical sensations such as nausea or trembling
• Feeling helpless and guilty for your housing conditions
• Feeling as if you’re living a constant trauma
• Negative mood swings, intrusive and harsh thoughts
• Reading, focusing, and concentration challenges

Noticing any symptoms? Book an appointment now!

3. Bicycle Accidents Can Lead To PTSD

Although there are risks involved in road cycling, it shouldn’t be a frightening experience. However, cycling may no longer be the exciting activity it once was for PTSD patients who experienced a bicycle crash.

The time immediately following a bicycle accident can feel like a nightmare, but what if that nightmare never ends?

Some people’s trauma from the collision doesn’t go away in the hours and days that follow the incident. The most challenging injuries to treat are those we do not notice immediately after the accident. While a broken bone will fully recover, mental healing may take longer. Symptoms of PTSD may include:

• Fear, anxiety and worry that interfere with day-to-day activities
• Nightmares, having trouble falling or staying asleep, or sleeping excessively
• Feeling guilty or ashamed about the accident
• Reading, focusing, and concentration challenges
• Recurrent panic attacks, sometimes accompanied by flashbacks

Noticing any symptoms? Book an appointment now!

4. GDPR Data Breach Can Lead To PTSD

A breach of personal information can be very detrimental financially and psychologically. If the organisation handling your data violates the law governing data protection, leading to a breach of your privacy that causes you mental harm.

A data breach may result in stress and anxiety disorders, avoidance issues, and in the worst cases, PTSD. A serious data breach’s “knock-on” effects could theoretically lead to high-stress levels and subsequent unfortunate life events with grave repercussions. Symptoms of PTSD may include:

• Disturbance and disruption in day-to-day activities
• Adjustment issues and generalised anxiety disorders
• Constantly feeling threatened for your safety
• Feeling spotlighted and losing the sense of privacy
• Nightmares, having trouble falling or staying asleep, or sleeping excessively

Noticing any symptoms? Book an appointment now!

5. Slip/ Fall Accidents Can Lead To PTSD

Slipping and falling at a supermarket can lead to severe avoidance behaviours and constant stress. If you are at a supermarket and all you can think of is products and goods falling off the shelves and injuring you, you might need to address that fear. In other words, a constant fear of suffering and pain because someone else failed to maintain a safe space which caused you to trip and fall, might be PTSD.

However, not every trip-and-fall accident results in PTSD. But since every human has a variable response to traumas, you might develop PTSD. In such cases, you will require a formal diagnosis to confront and cope with these emotions. Thus, you cannot just say how the fall has affected you physically or emotionally. The symptoms may include:

• Reliving your trip and fall accident such that it makes you anxious
• Flashbacks that interfere with your day-to-day activities
• Avoiding places like supermarkets if you fall at a supermarket
• Being hyperaware and perceiving everything as a potential danger
• Having negative thoughts and being hyperaware of your surroundings

Noticing any symptoms? Book an appointment now!

Has Personal Injury Impacted Your Mental Health?

Many people with neglected housing and victims of accidents and data breaches feel helpless and are unsure of their legal rights. The first step is to file a claim for compensation for your financial loss and physical injuries. However, if you feel you have PTSD, finding the proper diagnosis to understand the severity of the issue and whether treatment is necessary to resolve it is imperative.

You might be entitled to compensation for your injuries (mental and physical) if someone else’s negligence or failure to maintain safety injured your sense of security. You can fight for a just settlement or court ruling that includes compensation for your physical injuries and PTSD with the aid of a PTSD expert witness report.

To learn more, contact us immediately to set up a free consultation! Or schedule a call back via (01282) 786 185 or drop an email at info@concisemedico.co.uk today!