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No one is immune to developing post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) after a significantly shocking event. According to the National Institutes of Health PTSD doesn’t affect or occur in everyone the same way. While most everyone will have a feeling of fear or anxiety when confronted with a scary event, some will be able to overcome these feelings more easily than others.

Can A Car Accident Cause A Person To Develop PTSD?

Any type of tragic, distressing, and unexpected event is certainly one in which PTSD can develop. A car accident has all of these factors. Especially when the accident is particularly gruesome and life-altering. Car accidents can inflict both mental and physical trauma on their victims. Car accidents have been well documented to be associated with PTSD.

Unfortunately throughout the United States, many car accidents occur daily. There are an estimated 6 million accidents that take place each year and 2.35 million will result in critical injuries. Research suggests that there are about 9 percent of all individuals in the country that endure a bad accident who will develop PTSD as a result.

If you are unsure about whether you have PTSD, it is advisable to see a doctor with your concerns. The sooner you are diagnosed and treated the sooner you will see relief from your debilitating symptoms and get back to living an improved quality of life. Some of these symptoms to be aware of include:

  • Excess fear, anxiety, and emotional response when near a trigger related to your accident.
  • Feelings of jumpiness, nervousness, and angst in many situations.
  • Chronic distrust and skepticism of many situations and environments, heightened fear of threats even in the absence of evidence that a threat exists.
  • Antisocial feelings, self-separating from groups.
  • Avoiding anything that reminds you of your accident.

How Is PTSD Treated?

The good news is that there are therapies that can help victims of PTSD overcome their internal struggles. Some treatments include:

  • Exposure therapy puts those with PTSD face-to-face with their fears and forces them to confront the source of their anguish.
  • Cognitive therapy is a way of re-training the mind to take in stimuli and data and process it differently so that the way you respond to particular situations is also changed.
  • Behavior therapy searches for the root of understanding why you respond the way you do to certain stimuli. It works to retrain you to stop behaving in the same way by finding new ways to react to such stimuli.
  • All of these therapies can be accompanied by the help of medications including Prozac, Paxil, Zoloft, And Effexor.

Finding A Personal Injury Attorney After A Traumatic Accident In Wisconsin And Illinois

A blue and orange logo is shown on the side of a black background.The Alexander J. Smith Law Offices understand how challenging it is to overcome devastating events physically and emotionally. Our Janesville personal injury attorneys also know that in many cases, it is the emotional recovery that is much harder to recover from than the physical. When you have been injured in an accident that was not your fault, the Beloit automobile accident attorneys at the Alexander J. Smith Law Offices are committed to helping you with your personal injury claim.

Call us today to set up a free consultation at (608) 237-7035 for residents of Wisconsin or (815) 243-9686 for residents of Illinois. One of our highly knowledgeable Wisconsin and Illinois traffic accident attorneys are here to provide you effective legal representation.