Coping With Emotional and Psychological Trauma from a Car Accident

Car crashes can cause an enormous amount of physical, emotional, and psychological trauma. Unfortunately, many victims only focus on their physical health needs while completely ignoring their mental health and well-being. Surgical care, physical therapy, and medication are vital to your recovery, but you shouldn’t allow mental health challenges to go unaddressed or unnoticed.

If you or a loved one in your family has been injured in a car collision, an experienced California personal injury attorney can help you pursue the compensation you are owed. Here are a few time-tested tips to cope with the psychological and emotional trauma of a car accident.

Don’t Rush Your Recovery

In general, victims of severe car accidents downplay the effects of the incident on their mental well-being. You cannot expect yourself to recuperate psychologically and emotionally in just days or weeks following the crash. In certain cases, the mind may require months of recovery and ongoing therapy before you start feeling safe again.

A study published in Frontiers in Psychiatry found that 50% of the participants involved in a car accident showed clinical signs of PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder). Over 70% of participants reported psychological problems which interfered with their school and work lives, and 52% of participants reportedly experienced severe social impairments in the aftermath of the accident.

Avoid judging yourself if you are unable to mentally heal or move on as quickly as you had hoped. Don’t put pressure on yourself to speed up the recovery process. Not only will this be of no help, but it may also hinder your recovery or complicate your health further.

Don’t Go into a Denial Mode over the Psychological Trauma

You shouldn’t attempt to deny or trivialize your mental trauma. You will only add to the pressure by ignoring your mental health needs. There may be people that have had it worse than you, but this is your trauma. You cannot force healing by reminding yourself to be grateful for not having a more devastating outcome.

You may just end up adding to the guilt and mental pressure by ignoring the negative emotions bubbling up inside of you. Instead, identify your feelings to figure out where they are coming from. This will allow you to start thinking about the things that will really help you.

Don’t Ignore Professional Help

If you wouldn’t attempt at managing your physical injuries without help following an accident, why should you try to heal your psychological and emotional trauma on your own? You should make your mental health a priority and do everything possible to move on from the accident. There are several psychologists, psychiatrists, and licensed therapists that can help you deal with your emotional and psychological trauma.

You should consider choosing a care provider with experience in PTSD and trauma-informed care. Mental health providers with expertise in the area can help you attain a better understanding of your needs even if you don’t have PTSD. The path to recovery can be a slow process, especially if you suffered serious injuries in the crash.

Hold the Negligent Party Accountable

Expenses following an accident can quickly pile up. Your stress, anxiety, and frustration may also be because of the worry surrounding these bills. You may wonder how you can afford psychiatric care and therapy on top of regular hospital bills when you are out of work. On top of that, you probably also have the expense of fixing a damaged or replacing a totaled one.

Fortunately, you may be able to seek compensation for all accident-related expenses if there is another party liable for the accident. An attorney can help you take the necessary steps to obtain fair compensation by figuring out who the responsible party is.

Your car accident attorney will take vital steps toward investigating the crash, estimating financial damages, and pursuing compensation through negotiations or a lawsuit.

You can improve the likelihood of affording therapy by seeking legal advice as soon as possible. Evidence won’t last for long and you need every shred of evidence to create a strong claim. You will be able to breathe a sigh of relief and have the peace of mind you need by holding the liable party accountable for their negligence and your pain.

Closure can be a strong healer. It can prove to be beneficial for your psychological and mental well-being.

Obtaining Compensation for Emotional Distress in California

Emotional distress is part of pain and suffering, which is also known as general damages since there is no specific dollar amount attached to them. The degree and severity of trauma experienced by individual car accident victims can vary depending on several factors. An experienced car accident attorney can help you obtain a reasonable estimate for your injuries.

You will need to demonstrate the mental effects of the car crash on your everyday chores and day-to-day life for making a successful claim for emotional distress. A car accident attorney will have the necessary resources for gathering the evidence required to substantiate your claim.

Get a Compassionate Car Accident Attorney in Southern California on Your Side

At Garmo & Garmo, we know what the injured victims and their families go through in terms of mental anguish and pain and suffering, apart from their physical injury and economic losses. Our car accident attorneys have the experience, knowledge, and resources to help you obtain the best financial compensation for your injuries so that you can move on with your life.

To schedule your free, no-obligation consultation with us today, call us at 619-441-2500 or write to us online.