No one wakes up in the morning expecting to be involved in an accident, but the unfortunate fact is many Americans suffer from accidents each day. While many people are seriously injured in some physical manner when they are involved in an accident, there are also several other ways your health can be adversely affected by this sort of unfortunate incident.
1. Complex Regional Pain Syndrome
Otherwise known as CRPS, this condition causes a pain reaction within your body resulting from a previous injury or from the trauma you may have experienced during your accident. Symptoms usually occur as a sharp, stinging, burning or stabbing pain in your arm or leg but can also affect other areas of the body. This is real pain that is aggravated by feelings of worry or fear.
2. Anxiety Disorder
If your accident occurred due to a vehicle collision, then you may find yourself experiencing a high rate of anxiety each time you need to drive or ride in a car. Similarly, any situation that reminds you of your accident may cause you enough anxiety to deeply interfere with your daily life.
3. Social Withdrawal
You may find yourself pulling away from friends and family and staying to yourself as much as possible. This is a form of self-protection that many people adopt who have been traumatized by an accident. Your thought patterns make you believe you can’t get hurt again if you refuse to leave your home or interact with others.
4. Chronic Depression
Those who were involved in an accident with others who were more injured or even killed often experience survivor’s guilt and fall into a deep depression. You may also fall into a depressive pattern if you don’t work through your feelings about the accident and are unable to let it go.
5. Accident Phobia
It’s possible to develop a severe phobia after experiencing an accident. You may find yourself with a racing heart, rapid breathing, heavy sweating, nausea or feelings of faintness at any time you think about your accident. If you find yourself constantly thinking about what awful accident may happen to you, then you could very well be in the grip of a phobia.
6. Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder
PTSD is a term you may hear a lot, but you may not realize you could be affected with this condition after even what seems to have been a minor accident. It’s natural to feel frightened when you are in an accident of any kind, and you may continue to have feelings of fear or stress even when the danger has passed when you are afflicted with PTSD. You may b plagued by vivid flashbacks, nightmares or recurring frightening thoughts.
7. Financial Stress
Though your financial problems may not directly affect your health, but if it adds more stress to the trauma you have already faced, then it can affect your health a great deal. If you are having financial trouble after having suffered through an accident, it may be time to hire an attorney like those from Braithwaite Boyle Accident Injury Law and let your attorney get you the funds you need in order to have a healthy and less stressful recovery.
It’s very important that you take proper care of yourself after an accident whether that involves physical, mental or emotional assistance in dealing with what has happened to you. Just because you haven’t been grievously physically injured doesn’t mean your health hasn’t been affected, so be sure to seek out whatever help you need so you can feel better as soon as possible.