After your auto accident in California, you may be fine physically, and your car may have only sustained minor damage, but that does not mean you emerged from the incident unscathed. There is a chance you suffered psychological damage that you may not even realize.
Mental Health Matters investigated how auto accidents impact victims mentally and emotionally. Understand whether you are as fine as you may seem.
The impact of shock
Because of the suddenness, jarring impact, noise and flood of adrenaline during an auto accident, you can experience a grip of shock that refuses to let go after the threat passes. Even if initial shock does not bubble up immediately after the accident, it still can in the hours and days afterward. You may break out in a sweat, experience trembling or have trouble breathing, all of which are signs of shock.
The effects of anxiety
Understandably, you could grow anxious at the thought of getting into a car again after your accident, even if you are not driving. Anxiety also manifests in experiencing the accident over and over in your mind, dissecting the events in an attempt to discover what you could have done differently.
PTSD after an accident
Some auto accident victims have to shoulder the burden of post-traumatic stress disorder after a crash. Specifically, this is a type of anxiety that lingers in your system, which can trigger chronic anxiety, depression or several other mental health complications. Some people seek treatment from a therapist. True, you may not have been through a war like a soldier diagnosed with PTSD, but the fact remains that you experienced a trauma. Such trauma requires a proper diagnosis and professional treatment
Your rights
If another’s neglect or misdeeds caused your psychological duress, you should not have to endure the fallout. You may have a legal case on your hands, so you may want look into your legal rights regarding receiving compensation.