Norden Leacox Accident & Injury Law | January 2, 2025 | Personal Injury
Any traumatic injury, whether due to a slip and fall, a traffic collision, or a dog bite, can leave you struggling with both physical and psychological damage. Although most injured people get help for visible physical wounds, not everyone realizes just how damaging an accident can be to mental health.
If you’ve been in an accident and find that you are struggling with your mental and emotional well-being, you may tell yourself to get over it and move on, but that’s not always possible without help. Learn more about traumatic accidents and the toll they can have on psychological health.
How Trauma Can Form After an Accident
Doctors often use the word “trauma” to describe a physical wound or injury. However, it can also refer to a person’s experience of distress resulting from an event that is difficult to process emotionally. Many people assume that unless they suffer a severe injury or the death of a loved one, there’s no reason to develop psychological trauma.
However, any distressing event can cause trauma. Accidents, and especially car accidents, can be traumatic because of their suddenness. The abrupt nature of these events can overwhelm regular coping mechanisms, leading to shock. Fearing for your life or being at risk of suffering a serious injury can also trigger trauma responses, including the fight, flight, or freeze response.
These factors come together to cause psychological distress that not only impacts your mental health but can also hinder your physical healing.
Mental Health Conditions That an Accident Can Cause
An accident can lead to a number of mental health concerns. Let’s look at some of the most common ones.
Acute Stress Disorder
Acute stress disorder typically appears a few days after a traumatic event. Symptoms can include the following:
- Irritability
- Sleeping problems
- Feeling numb
- Distressing and uncontrollable memories of the event
- Concentration problems
- Hypervigilance
These symptoms may last for about a month. If you experience longer symptoms, you may have developed post-traumatic stress disorder.
Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder
Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a condition that can develop after a person lives through or witnesses a shocking and traumatic event. Symptoms of PTSD tend to appear within the first three months after an incident. Sometimes, however, it takes years for them to emerge.
PTSD can affect your relationships and your overall mental health, making it hard to enjoy the quality of life you once had. People living with PTSD might experience flashbacks, negative changes to their mood, memory problems, and a variety of other disruptive symptoms. The severity of the condition can vary, but healing often requires professional help.
Depression
Depression is a mental illness that negatively impacts how you feel, think, and act. It can cause you to lose interest in things you once enjoyed, experience changes in sleeping patterns and appetite levels, and feel hopeless, sad, or empty. Sometimes, depression develops as a result of the physical injuries sustained in an accident, especially if they’re long-term ones.
Anxiety
Anxiety is a feeling of fear, dread, or uneasiness that is out of proportion to the situation and that interferes with your ability to carry out your regular life. People who suffer from anxiety can experience physical symptoms like shortness of breath and nausea, as well as psychological symptoms like uncontrollable thoughts and panic.
Getting Help For All of the Consequences of an Accident
An accident can leave you battling serious psychological injuries that are just as important to treat as any physical wound. By pursuing a personal injury claim, you can receive the mental health care you need to feel like yourself once again.
Contact a Personal Injury Lawyer at Norden Leacox Accident & Injury Law Today
For more information, please contact Norden Leacox Accident & Injury Law to schedule a free consultation. We have five convenient locations in Florida, including Orlando, Palm Bay, Melbourne, Cocoa, and Titusville.
Norden Leacox Accident & Injury Law – Orlando, FL Office
633 E Colonial Dr
Orlando, FL 32803
Phone: (407) 801-3000
Hours: Open 24/7
Our firm is located near you. We have an office in Orlando, FL.
Find us with our GeoCoordinates: 28.5534238,-81.3692001
Norden Leacox Accident & Injury Law – Palm Bay, FL Office
4620 Lipscomb Street N.E Suite #3K
Palm Bay, FL 32905
Phone: (321) 677-5964
Hours: Open 24/7
Our firm is located near you. We have an office in Palm Bay, FL.
Find us with our GeoCoordinates: 28.039083,-80.6083109
Norden Leacox Accident & Injury Law – Melbourne, FL Office
1600 W Eau Gallie Blvd #205j
Melbourne, FL 32935
Phone: (321) 450-7134
Hours: Open 24/7
Our firm is located near you. We have an office in Melbourne, FL.
Find us with our GeoCoordinates: 28.1289147,-80.6461588
Norden Leacox Accident & Injury Law – Cocoa, FL Office
717 S Cocoa Blvd STE 203
Cocoa, FL 32922
(321) 449-8042
Hours: Open 24/7
Our firm is located near you. We have an office in Cocoa, FL.
Find us with our GeoCoordinates: 28.3511613,-80.7312948
Norden Leacox Accident & Injury Law – Titusville, FL Office
4527 S Hopkins Ave Suite B
Titusville, FL 32780
Phone: (407) 801-3000
Hours: Open 24/7
Our firm is located near you. We have an office in Titusville, FL.
Find us with our GeoCoordinates:28.5584923,-80.8010051