PTSD Following Your Car Accident

Personal Injury

If you were recently in a car accident, you may notice that you are feeling off or not like yourself. Whether you suffered from serious injuries and needed a hospital stay or your injuries were minor, you may still notice that it is harder to sleep, you are antsier, you have flashbacks to the accident, or you have a difficult time getting in a car and going places. Though you may think of something like post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) as something that only happens to war veterans, the truth is it can happen to anyone who has been in a scary situation. If you believe you are experiencing some symptoms of PTSD following a car accident, you should seek out a therapist who can help talk you through what you are going through and a lawyer who can help you with your car accident case.

What does it mean to have PTSD? 

If you have been in any kind of traumatic event, you can get PTSD. Additionally, you do not need to have life-threatening injuries or see a death occur in the accident to suffer from this. Simply being in a scenario that is traumatic can give you these symptoms. A lawyer, like a car accident lawyer from a law office like MartinWren, P.C. knows that you may suffer from PTSD following a car accident if you have symptoms like: 

• You have flashbacks. You may have flashbacks of the car accident or the moments following the car accident. You may have a flashback if you are triggered by a sound, sight, or smell that takes you back to the accident scene. When you have a flashback, it can feel like you are back at the accident.

• You Have nightmares. Similar to flashbacks, you may also experience nightmares. These can be incredibly vivid and you may relive the accident you were in over and over again while you sleep. For this reason, many people who suffer from PTSD have a difficult time going to sleep because they do not want to experience nightmares.

• You can’t get in a car. Whether you have a difficult time driving a car or you simply won’t go near one, you may be so concerned that you will get into an accident again that you avoid cars. Additionally, you may avoid transportation and vehicles altogether for a fear of being triggered or fear of getting hurt again.

• You feel withdrawn. Depression and anxiety are both common symptoms of PTSD. Following an accident, you may not feel like your old self. You may not enjoy food, you may not enjoy people, and you may not enjoy the things that used to make you happy. Depression can be crippling and it can often feel like it will swallow you up.

PTSD is not something to take lightly. When you were injured in a car accident and you are suffering from PTSD, you should get help as soon as possible. Working with a lawyer is a great way to help put you in touch with others who can help you work through the mental and emotional issues you are dealing with and your lawyer can help create a car accident case that includes fighting for compensation for your PTSD. When you are ready, seek help from a lawyer who can help you with this.