How Do Personal Injuries Affect Mental Health?

There are several effects of a personal injury that you may experience in the days and months afterward. Your physical injuries can also affect your mental health, leading to depression and anxiety. The aftermath of the accident can also leave you with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) that may stay with you for the rest of your life. When someone else is to blame for the accident leading to your injury, you have a legal right to full compensation for all of these injuries. Contact the experienced Charleston personal injury lawyers at The Hartman Law Firm, LLC to learn more about the legal process and how you may be able to obtain financial compensation.

Common Psychological Effects of Personal Injuries

There are several ways that your injury can impact your mental health. You may experience anxiety and depression as a result of your injuries. You could have difficulty dealing with your present situation or worry about the future. Depression and anxiety are part of the pain and suffering that you deal with after your accident.

You could also suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder. The moment of the accident and the immediate aftermath can remain with you for an extended amount of time. For example, if you were involved in a car accident, you may be extremely afraid to ever get in a car in the future and may never drive again. PTSD can be life-altering.

How Mental Health Issues Can Complicate Recovery from Physical Injuries

How you feel mentally can also affect how you feel physically. Mental health conditions can leave you feeling physically weaker and lead to other illnesses. For example, people who are in a difficult mental state often have a higher risk of heart attack and stroke.

Oftentimes, you must undergo extensive and grueling physical rehabilitation to regain some of the function you may have lost from your injury. However, when you are depressed and anxious, you may not have the will or strength to do the physical work required to get better.

Emotional Distress in Personal Injury Claims

When someone else is to blame for your injury, they are obligated to pay you both economic and non-economic damages. Non-economic damages represent the effects that your physical injury has had on you. Emotional distress is one element of non-economic damages. To file a claim for emotional distress, you would need to have suffered some type of physical injury to accompany it. There are very limited circumstances under which you can file a personal injury claim when you have been a bystander who has experienced emotional distress.

Managing Anxiety and Depression After a Personal Injury

It can be difficult to adjust to a new reality when you have been left with a personal injury. Many worries may pile up, including physical and financial ones. One way to reduce the burden on you is to hire an experienced personal injury lawyer to handle the legal aspects of your case.

You should accept that you may be in for a difficult road ahead and prepare for what you need to do to improve your health in any way possible. You should lean on family and friends for support. In addition, although it is very difficult to do, you must try to adopt the most positive outlook possible because it will help you in your recovery. Know there will be good days and bad that lie ahead of you.

Importance of Seeking Mental Health Support After an Injury

There are multiple reasons why it is in your best interest to get support from an experienced mental health professional after you have suffered an injury. The first, and most obvious reason you need to get help is to tend to your health. If you try to go it alone, you may struggle to deal with the impacts of your injury and may find your mental health getting worse. An experienced professional can help you cope with your injuries and may even be able to prescribe medication that can help your condition. There is no reason why you should try to deal with your issues on your own when mental health professionals exist to help you.

You also need documentation of your mental health condition so you can obtain compensation for it. The insurance company is never going to take your word that you are dealing with the emotional effects of your injury—they will want to see everything on paper. Your mental health provider will make treatment notes of what they observe of your condition, and you can use those records as evidence of your condition when filing a claim or lawsuit.

The Challenges of Seeking Compensation for Emotional Distress

Any time you are seeking compensation for a mental health issue, you are reporting subjective symptoms that only you know. The insurance company may either minimize your condition or they could dispute that you are experiencing any type of emotional distress. You must tell your story, including your description of what you are going through and testimony from other people who have seen what you have endured since the accident. Still, you will be in for a battle with the insurance company, which wants to minimize or avoid emotional distress damages.

Contact a Charleston Personal Injury Lawyer Today

Emotional distress, as well as depression and anxiety, are key parts of your personal history claim. Attorney Frank Hartman and his team at The Hartman Law Firm will help you learn the value of your claim as you seek full financial compensation for your injury. We know how to play hardball with the insurance company before they do the same to you. The first step is to contact our office to schedule a free evaluation of your case. You can reach out to us through our website or call us today at 843.300.7600.