What Is PTSD And Its Symptoms: Complete Guide
Many people think that posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a condition that only affects war veterans. However, people involved in PTSD from car cash, especially in high-speed impact crashes, or people who suffered severe injuries, can also develop PTSD. It is more common than you think. This raises the question: how do you recognize the signs?
Symptoms of PTSD:
- Depression
- Irritability or anger
- Nightmares
- Feelings of isolation or hopelessness
- Feelings of guilt
- Hypersensitivity, including exaggerated startle reflex, an increase in the heart rate, or an increase in the blood pressure
- Insomnia
- Headaches
- Hypervigilance,
History Of PTSD:
First, PTSD (PTSD) is defined by the American Psychiatric Association as a psychological condition that can affect any victim who has witnessed or experienced a traumatic event.
Of course, we all handle trauma in different ways, which means that any stressful or frightening event can trigger the condition of a particular victim, regardless of whether the event was traumatic for others or not.
Essentially, PTSD is an anxiety disorder in which the brain can relive the fight or flight responses it experienced during the actual event, even long after the event is over. It can be divided into four primary symptoms that you should watch for yourself or your loved ones after any type of trauma, including a car accident:
- Intrusion: the victim has flashbacks to the event
- Insensitivity: the victim isolates herself from the world around her, creating feelings of depression and hopelessness
- Avoidance: the victim can avoid people or places that trigger memories of the trauma and can develop social phobias, fear, and anxiety
- Wake up: the victim is very vigilant, unable to sleep, paranoid, and unable to concentrate
It is essential to recognize that PTSD can affect different people in many different ways, from nightmares to flashbacks and panic attacks.
Sometimes it can affect children more easily than adults, so parents should pay close attention to children who cannot express their emotions but may show PTSD symptoms.
Concerning car crashes, PTSD symptoms may not appear until days, weeks, or even years after the event and other accident-related injuries.
A recent study showed that about 9% of all car accident victims develop symptoms of PTSD, which makes these accidents the leading cause of the condition in the general population.
So what does that mean for you and your loved ones the next time you go on the road? First, any accident, however small, must be taken seriously.
Victims of car accidents should receive immediate medical treatment to assess the severity of possible physical and psychological injuries.
PTSD can be treated when the signs are recognized, and patients can find relief through methods such as therapy and medication.
If you suffer from mental distress caused by a car accident in which you were not at fault, you may be able to file a personal injury claim and receive compensation for the time, energy, pain, and financial costs you have suffered.
You must speak with an experienced personal injury lawyer as soon as possible to see what legal options are available to you.
