Being in a car accident in Homestead or any Florida community can cause many physical symptoms, such as fractures, head trauma, back injuries, whiplash and other serious injuries. However, car crashes can also cause other, and less obvious injuries.
Traffic collisions are in fact closely associated with some mental health difficulties, including depression and post-traumatic stress disorder. If you already suffer from a mental illness, being in a traffic accident in Homestead or your community can exacerbate the condition.
What Sorts of Emotional Problems Can Happen After Your Homestead Car Accident?
It is normal to face some upset after a traffic collision. After all, this sort of event is very stressful. However, you should also stay alert for ongoing or severe symptoms, including:
- Trouble sleeping or nightmares
- Significant flashbacks
- Trouble focusing
- Difficulty returning to regular activities (such as driving) due to your fears
- Changes in personality
- Upset, uneasiness, and anxiety
- Outbursts of anger
- Numbness or difficulty connecting with others
- Relationship problems
- Use of substances to control mood, including excessive drinking
- Changes in eating patterns
- Thoughts of self-harm
- Anger and violence towards others
What is normal after an accident is often a matter of duration and severity. If your symptoms are severe enough that they affect your life or if you cannot get back to normal after a few weeks, see a doctor or mental health professional for help. There are many options to help you get back on track.
Healing Means Mental Healing, Too
Recovering emotionally is just as important as healing physically. In fact, if you are struggling with mental health after a car accident, it can even affect your physical healing. When you are struggling emotionally, your life is affected. If you are too unfocused or tired or upset to do your work, for example, your ability to earn an income may be affected. You may find yourself more and more isolated, which can make your already-present symptoms worse.
If you are facing mental illness or exacerbated illness after a car accident, your mental state can also affect your physical recovery. If you are too tired or depressed to care for your physical health or work on healing, it can take you long to heal from physical injuries. In addition, physical injuries such as burns, head injuries, and other injuries can impact your mental health, too, creating a closed loop where your mental health condition makes it harder to recover physically and your physical condition worsens your mental health.
Getting Help
After a traffic accident, seek help. There are support groups in Homestead and across South Florida where you can meet patients who have been through a similar experience. Talking about it with a professional and a group of people who understand can help.
If you notice any symptoms that worry you, reach out to your doctor or a specialist for help. The sooner you get help, the sooner you can start the healing process.
Keep in mind that psychiatric care and care for physical injuries can be expensive. In addition, you may be losing time at work and income after a car accident. For this reason, you will want to ensure you get fair compensation for all the injuries related to your car accident.
To get legal advice about options for pursuing compensation, contact Flaxman Law Group at 1-866-352-9626 (1-866-FLAXMAN) to set up a free, no obligation case review with a Homestead car accident attorney. Our caring team can help you understand your options.