The effects of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) can be hard to recognize in oneself immediately after an accident. However, PTSD touches the lives of a great portion of the population, many being those who have been the victims of a motor vehicle accident. Here are some of the ways that PTSD can take control of the mind after a traumatic collision:

Symptoms of PTSD

PTSD can affect people in different ways. It usually manifests itself with severe anxiety related to the initial trauma or anything that reminds the sufferer (consciously or subconsciously) of the event.

This can be in the form of flashbacks, panic attacks, nightmares, insomnia, and reliving the experience in a variety of ways. This can lead the sufferer to avoid situations and even people that stimulate this triggered response.

Accidents and PTSD

Any event or trauma in which a person fears for their safety can create an anxiety response.  Accidents especially can cause the feeling of being out of control, anxious and helpless. These feelings can then take hold in the form of PTSD or other anxiety disorders, long after the physical scars may have healed.

Case study

If we take John as a case study – John has experienced a motorcycle accident. Before the accident he felt invincible, like many of us, unaware of his own mortality. John would live and act in a carefree manner. However, when John experienced his accident all of that changed.

It wasn’t just John’s perception of motorcycles, but the whole world around him. In the face of extreme fear, and physical frailty after the accident, John experienced anxiety. This anxiety impacted the way he viewed life. No longer could John act in a carefree way, now John saw danger. In places there once was joy, there was now confusion and fear. Flashbacks and panic attacks grew so bad John could not face the world outside and agoraphobia ensued.

Life after PTSD

John is not alone. Any accident or trauma can leave the victim with deep scars that, just like scars on the body, need help to heal.

With the right help John and thousands of other accident victims have been able to rebuild their lives. This is not a weakness, this is a disorder that can be healed and treated if sufferers speak out and get help.”

If you have been experiencing symptoms of PTSD due to an accident you were recently involved in, contact us today to begin walking down the path towards healing.

Conact us here: https://www.cblaw.ca/schedule-a-call/