Accident-Related Psychological Injuries
In the aftermath of a traumatic accident, victims who have sustained physical injuries often face challenges that can seem insurmountable. Motor vehicle collisions, slips and falls on another party’s property, dog attacks, and other unpredictable, violent events that lead to physical trauma can have profound impacts on an injured accident victim’s overall quality of life. Oftentimes, seriously injured accident survivors require long periods of hospitalization, intensive physiotherapy, rehabilitation treatments, and sometimes, drastic lifestyle adjustments.
Not only can the lengthy and involved process of recovery be physically and emotionally draining, it can be expensive, as well. Many injured accident survivors cannot afford the costs of their necessary care, even with access to insurance coverage. This might be especially true for people who can no longer perform work because of the injuries they have sustained. With bills for injury-related expenses accumulating and no access to their regular earnings, injured accident victims often experience legitimate financial anxieties.
Recovering from serious injuries can be stressful, demoralizing, and isolating. Emotional and financial stresses can quickly become overwhelming, especially for injured accident survivors dealing with persistent, ongoing, painful symptoms. As a result, many patients develop additional disabilities in the form of severe psychological injuries.
In fact, certain kinds of physical injuries can present themselves in psychological symptoms. For example, people who have sustained traumatic brain injuries (TBIs) often experience neuropsychological deficits related to memory, focus, problem solving, planning, and inhibitory control, as well as unpredictable mood swings and dramatic behavioural changes. Because of these changes, people who have sustained TBIs often find it difficult to relate to romantic partners, family members, co-workers, authority figures, and other members of society at large. Accident survivors suffering from the effects of TBIs often require cognitive remediation therapy and counseling sessions with the people closest to them.
Common Psychological Injuries
Other psychological injuries often developed by injured accident survivors include anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), insomnia, and most commonly, depression. Depression is a severe psychological disorder that could upend an injured accident victim’s entire life. Common symptoms of depression include:
- Persistent feelings sadness, anxiety, and emptiness
- Irritability, restlessness, frustration, and drastic changes in mood
- Loss of interest in normal activities
- Lack of energy, extreme fatigue
- Insomnia, over-sleeping, and/or other sleep disorders
- Fluctuations in weight (due to either increased food cravings or reduced appetites)
- Feelings of worthlessness and guilt
- Difficulty focusing, making decisions, and remembering
- Headaches, backaches, digestive disorders, and other physical ailments that do not respond to treatment
- Suicidal thoughts or attempts
If you are in distress, call the Canada Suicide Prevention Service at 1-888-456-4566, or visit your nearest hospital’s emergency department.
How an Ontario Personal Injury Lawyer May Be Able to Help
If you were involved in an accident caused by someone else’s negligence, our Ontario personal injury lawyers may be able to file a civil claim against the at-fault party to help you recover injury-related damages you have incurred, which could very well include the costs of psychological counseling and other expenses related to your mental health. If you are eligible to pursue a civil claim, our personal injury lawyers serving all of Ontario will review the details of your case with you and determine the total amount of damages to which you should be owed.
Furthermore, if you are unable to work because of your psychological injuries but your claim for long-term disability (LTD) benefits was turned down by your insurance provider, consider scheduling a free initial consultation with Preszler Injury Lawyers. Unfortunately, insurance providers routinely deny LTD benefits claims for so-called invisible injuries whose symptoms cannot be observed objectively through medical testing. By working with our Ontario long-term disability lawyers, you may be able to overturn your insurance provider’s unfair decision and reclaim the benefits you deserve.
Contact Preszler Injury Lawyers Today
The process of pursuing justice, accountability, and financial compensation can seem complicated and intimidating, especially for injured accident survivors struggling to cope with psychological injuries. Preszler Injury Lawyers handle all aspects of our clients’ cases, focusing on getting the best results possible so that our clients can focus on getting better.
To schedule a free initial consultation with our Ontario personal injury lawyers, contact us online or call 1-800-JUSTICE.
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