Many people who have survived a car accident can attest to this experience’s long-term effects on a person. The shock of the event, coupled with the threat of death, leaves many emotionally shaken and physically scarred. This can lead to various psychological symptoms that will affect your day-to-day life. If you go through a car accident injury attorneys Huntington Beach can help you with all the legal processes.
Some signs and symptoms of PTSD are:
Flashback of the event
You may experience a flashback of the event. This can be triggered by specific sounds, such as sirens, your voice, or even certain smells. Once you begin to recall the event, it’s often accompanied by physical symptoms like pain in the heart, chest tightness and shortness of breath, etc.
Being triggered into action by everyday events
When you see another car accident, another vehicle, or if you hear about another one, or just about anything related to car accidents can trigger an emotional response in you.
Avoidance of reminders
You may try to avoid places where cars are involved, for example. You may also steer clear of activities that will remind you of what happened, like riding a bicycle or watching TV programs related to cars and road safety.
Intrusive thoughts about the event
You may become obsessively focused on thoughts about what happened in the car accident, reliving the event over and over again.
Feeling of sadness
It’s normal to feel sadness, guilt, regret, or anxiety after something this terrible has happened to you. Feelings of depression are often accompanied by physical symptoms like headaches, lack of energy loss or gain, feeling tired, etc.
Emotional numbness
You may feel disconnected from your emotions. You may also have difficulty identifying feelings you experience. Instead of knowing for sure what you’re feeling, you could find yourself saying things like “I don’t know how I’m feeling,” “I’m not sure if I’m sad or just bored.”
Increased irritability and anger issues
You may find you’re more irritable and begin to have issues controlling your anger. You may also notice that you tend to yell or lose your temper quickly.
Difficulty concentrating
You might face a hard time focusing on work or school, as well as having trouble remembering things from your day-to-day life. This is normal for those who have experienced trauma during a car accident, mainly if it happened at the event.
Difficulty sleeping or having vivid or disturbing nightmares during your sleep; chronic insomnia is another possible symptom.
PTSD can be scary and stressful for some, but we can’t forget that we must continue to live and remain healthy and happy and productive and positive and self-sufficient in all ways.
