Traffic accidents and injuries can have a number of emotional and mental health effects on victims. These can range from mild to severe and last for a short time or long term. In this article, New York injury attorneys Glenn and Robin Herman discuss some of the most common effects of car accidents on victims’ mental health.

Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder 

One of the most common emotional and mental health effects of car accidents is post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). PTSD is a condition that can develop after a person experiences a traumatic event, such as a car accident, and is characterized by difficulty recovering from the event in an expected fashion. Symptoms of PTSD can include:

• flashbacks

• nightmares

• anxiety

• depression

• difficulty sleeping

PTSD may last months or years after an accident, and is usually managed with trauma-focused therapeutic techniques and sometimes medication.

Acute Stress Disorder

PTSD is diagnosed when symptoms persist for at least one month following the traumatic incident, but personal injury victims may experience the same debilitating symptoms immediately. When these symptoms inhibit someone’s ability to function, they may qualify for a diagnosis of acute stress disorder.

Anxiety

Various forms of anxiety are also common following car accidents. People who have been in a car accident may experience symptoms of anxiety, such as feeling nervous or agitated, having difficulty sleeping, sweating, and having a racing heart. Anxiety can make it difficult for people to return to their normal activities after a car accident. Furthermore, the lengthy and expensive process of recovering from a car accident,…