Accidents leave our clients with considerable bodily pain, and many are confined to the hospital or their bedroom for months as they struggle to recover. At Inzina Law Injury Attorneys, we help men, women, and even children hurt in a variety of accidents, including car crashes, truck accidents and premises liability claims. We know these accidents take a physical toll on victims and their families.
We also appreciate how injuries affect mental health. Our clients often struggle with intense mental distress following an accident.
Unfortunately, some insurance adjusters do not take mental injuries seriously. You have come to the right place. Personal injury mental health is a focus at our firm, and we fight for the maximum compensation available for your depression or mental anguish.
Below, our Lafayette personal injury lawyers examine some of the mental impacts people suffer after an accident. Call our office to schedule a free consultation where we can talk in greater detail about your personal injury mental distress.
Depression
Depression is a common psychological injury after an accident. Bodily injuries can have a dramatic and unwelcome effect on wellbeing, and depression is a common diagnosis.
Most people understand on some level what depression is. As a clinical diagnosis, however, depression has certain symptoms:
- A loss of pleasure or interest in life;
- Feelings of worthlessness or guilt;
- Impaired concentration;
- Weight loss or gain;
- Feelings of sadness or unhappiness;
- Recurring thoughts of death or suicide.
Depression is one of the most studied psychological disorders. A doctor should be able to treat depression, so please mention any of the above symptoms to your medical team.
Anxiety Disorders
Accidents are often traumatic and unexpected. No one expects to be struck while crossing the road to pick up their mail or get into a crash when they put the key into the ignition. Anxiety disorders are a common problem with personal injury mental health.
Almost everyone experiences some level of anxiety, especially in novel situations like standing up in front of a group and delivering a speech. But anxiety disorders are characterized by exaggerated and persistent feelings of anxiety often when there is no threat present.
Many people can:
- Wake up in the middle of the night and relive the accident;
- Fear leaving the house or getting in a car again;
- Develop an intense fear of animals after a dog attack;
- Experience a panic attack whenever thinking about an accident.
In extreme situations, anxiety disorders can completely upend someone’s life. Helpfully, doctors can treat anxiety disorders with medication and psychotherapy.
Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)
PTSD manifests in many ways, including
- Nightmares;
- Avoidance of any reminder of the trauma;
- Intrusive thoughts (i.e., not being able to stop thinking about the accident or remembering it at unusual times).
For decades, doctors often overlooked PTSD. Although many people associate it with participating in war, anyone could develop PTSD after a traumatic accident, including a car crash. One study found that 25-33% of motor vehicle accident survivors developed PTSD. The good news is that you can treat PTSD provided you recognize the symptoms.
Irritability
General irritability is also a byproduct of many accidents and is a type of personal injury with emotional distress. Many accident victims will suddenly become snappish with their spouse or close friends. It can be annoying to live with someone who is irritable and “touchy.”
Generally, irritability should improve as a person’s physical condition improves and they can get back to normal life.
Schizophrenia
Traumatic brain injuries are linked to a 33% greater risk of being diagnosed with schizophrenia.
Our clients suffer a TBI in all sorts of accidents, including car wrecks, pedestrian accidents, and slip and falls. You could bang your head on the ground or suffer brain injury when your head whips back and forth. Unfortunately, schizophrenia is a serious mental disorder, and you could end up in a hospital for treatment.
Bipolar Disorder
TBIs are also associated with a 78% increase in bipolar disorder diagnosis. This illness is also called “manic depressive disorder,” and you will experience wild swings in mood, from euphoric highs to crushing lows. Bipolar is treatable, so please head to the hospital if you notice wild mood swings that you didn’t experience before a brain injury.
Get the Compensation You Deserve
At Inzina Law Injury Attorneys, we care about the whole person. Our clients are like family, and we realize that there is an emotional side to any personal injury case. We have long paid attention to how injuries affect mental health, and we are committed to obtaining fair compensation for all non-economic losses.
In addition to damages for property damage and medical bills, our clients can receive money for pain and suffering, along with emotional distress.
We can help you document your emotional distress. If you develop bipolar or schizophrenia, then you will likely have a clinical diagnosis.
Your medical team can testify about how your injuries have impacted your mental well-being.
In other situations, family and friends can offer testimony about your irritability or loss of enjoyment of life. This testimony is powerful when presented in a deposition or to a jury at trial.
Insurance companies often underestimate the value of mental injuries. They might offer only a few thousand dollars when a person is struggling with severe depression. We believe our clients deserve the maximum compensation available under the law. As a result, we will reject out of hand a settlement that doesn’t fairly compensate for psychological impacts.
Call Us with Questions
Inzina Law Injury Attorneys can meet for a free consultation to discuss the accident. Our team is dedicated to our client’s physical and emotional recovery. We know that money can’t solve all problems, but it does help defray expenses. And a defendant should be held accountable when they negligently or recklessly injure you.
Give us a call to schedule your no-risk appointment with a member of our team. You deserve an experienced personal injury lawyer in your corner who can take on any defendant and advocate for your best interests.