Can You Claim Anxiety After a Car Accident?
Car accidents are stressful. Many people experience unprecedented anxiety levels, including PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder), following a car accident. They may also find difficulty going back behind the wheel or even riding in a car driven by someone else. While physical injuries after an auto accident make it extremely challenging to continue your daily life and activities, mental traumas likewise do.
So, can you sue for anxiety or depression after a car accident? The answer to this is YES! As an accident victim, you can claim varied damages, including medical costs, lost earnings, and emotional distress. However, getting the compensation you deserve may be more complex than your anticipation. Having an experienced auto accident lawyer in Sacramento on your side is imperative to obtaining the desired reimbursement.
Following a Car Accident, Emotional Distress, and Trauma Responses
An automobile accident may cause significant emotional discomfort, affecting many aspects of your everyday life. People react to trauma and stress differently based on their life history and sensitivity.
• Anxiety About the Events of the Car Accident
Events that remind victims of traumatic car accidents of the incident might often cause anxiety in the sufferer. For instance, if the accident occurred while you were a passenger in a car, you may be unable to get into a car with someone else driving without feeling extremely anxious. On the other side, if you were driving at the time of the accident, you might find it tough to drive as you cope with the emotional fallout. Others may have difficulty going through the region where the accident occurred.
• PTSD
Many victims who experience or live through horrific and traumatic situations develop post-traumatic stress disorder or PTSD. Not only may PTSD raise general anxiety, but it can also lead the person to overthink the experience. PTSD can produce flashbacks, nightmares, and profoundly nervous emotions, making it difficult for the victim to interact with regular activities. Since experiencing such devastating incidents may leave a lasting impression, engaging a professional personal injury lawyer in Sacramento will be worthwhile to assist you in filing compensation for your sufferings.
• Depression
Depression usually arises in patients who have sustained significant injuries in a vehicle accident, including disabilities that may prohibit them from partaking in their typical daily activities in the future. Assume you received a back injury in your car accident that precludes you from hiking or bicycling, two of your favorite pastimes.
Eventually, owing to your continuous pain, you may succumb to depression or lose your overall appreciation of life. Often, depression makes it difficult to take care of oneself in other ways, including putting in the work required to recoup ground in treatment.
• Generalized Anxiety
Some people may be unaware that an auto accident provoked the symptoms of generalized anxiety disorder or that the anxiety level they faced due to the accident has increased significantly. Patients suffering from generalized anxiety disorder may have chronic anxieties, difficulty sleeping, or overthink even small plans and circumstances. They may also experience fantasizing about worst-case situations and coming up with terrible resolutions to those events.