If you’ve been involved in a life threatening accident it is not just the physical injuries that can impact your day to day life. Many people who have suffered due to an accident at work, a road traffic accident, or clinical negligence are also affected by psychological injuries.
At True Solicitors, we see minor cases of travel anxiety following road traffic accidents, through to severe cases of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder following life threatening accidents.
In most cases, clients suffer physical injuries as well as psychological injuries. Where there is no physical injury in order to claim compensation it is usually necessary for the psychological symptoms to amount to a recognised diagnosable psychological condition.
Examples of recognised diagnosable psychological conditions are:
- Post Traumatic Stress Disorder
- Adjustment Disorders
- Specific Phobias
- Depression
We understand that people react in different ways following an accident or traumatic event, and while one person may not be too badly affected psychologically, someone else may find a similar event psychologically debilitating.
Symptoms of psychological injuries may include:
- Travel anxiety resulting in avoiding driving or being a passenger in a vehicle.
- Depression caused by the impact of injuries on day to day life and lack of motivation.
- Sleep disturbance, flashbacks and nightmares.
- Anxiety
- A growing reliance on drugs or alcohol as a coping mechanism.
There are various treatments available to help clients overcome psychological symptoms, such as counselling, CBT (Cognitive Behavioural Therapy) and EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitisation Reprocessing).