Besides physical injuries, a car accident can lead to psychological effects. Since it’s a traumatic event, a crash can trigger psychological responses that can potentially affect your life for a long time.
Here is how this can happen:
Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
Anyone who has experienced or witnessed a traumatic event, such as an accident, can develop PTSD (re-experiencing the trauma). Common symptoms of PTSD include flashbacks, nightmares, mood fluctuations and severe anxiety. These symptoms can trigger other effects, such as insomnia (trouble falling asleep), mood fluctuations and angry outbursts.
Sleep disorders
As mentioned before, one may experience insomnia due to PTSD. But someone involved in a car accident can also experience hypersomnia (excessive sleepiness). Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is a common cause of hypersomnia.
Cognitive impairment
Someone who sustains a TBI in an accident is likely to experience cognitive impairment. They may have difficulty remembering, concentrating, learning new things and making decisions. This problem can be short-term, but in some cases, it can last a long time.
Social withdrawal
It’s not uncommon for people who have been involved in an accident to lose access to their social groups, especially those who live alone, which can lead to feelings of loneliness.
But some people also choose to withdraw from social settings even if they live with others – they prefer isolating themselves from others. This happens due to different reasons, including an inability to enjoy everyday activities., feeling guilty for/embarrassed about the accident even if it wasn’t their fault and so on. They may withdraw from human contact to avoid discussing the accident.
A car accident can affect you differently. It’s crucial to understand your options to receive just compensation to cover your economic and non-economic damages.