Getting Help for Depression and Anxiety Following an Accident Mild cases of depression and anxiety can affect a person's ability to work, care for their families, and even take care of themselves. Severe cases can lead to treatment in mental health facilities, strong prescription medications that are expensive and cause serious side effects, and in the worst cases, suicide. An increasingly common cause of depression and anxiety is automobile accidents, which frequently cause victims to have trouble working or maintaining their lifestyle due to fear of driving and other fears and depressive tendencies.i Depression and anxiety are common in survivors following fatal accidents, but it can happen to any accident victim regardless of the extent of their injuries. What can you do if an accident has left you depressed, anxious, and unable to continue working or supporting your family? With the right lawyer, the answer is yes. Symptoms of Depression Following an Accident Depression changes a person, but it's often hard for friends and family to understand why. The victim may look the same on the outside, but inside they are in serious pain. Depression usually disrupts sleep patterns, causing the victim to either want to sleep all the time or to never be able to get a good night's rest. It affects their ability to concentrate, which causes problems for them at work and at home. They feel hopeless and helpless, experiencing a torrent of negative thoughts with no control over their thinking.ii Depression often causes weight loss or weight gain, as the person either turns to food for comfort or loses their appetite entirely. Victims often become irritable or develop a bad temper, for no apparent reason. They usually lose interest in things they loved before, such as their work or their hobbies and favorite activities. Memory issues are common in depressed people, as is withdrawal from social activities. The important thing to remember is that the victim really has no control over these changes. They don't understand what's happening to them, and they can't just "snap out of it." Professional treatment, including therapy and medication, often helps the symptoms of depression, but there is no known reliable cure. Depression is particularly common in victims with spinal cord injury, especially if the prognosis for full recovery is not positive. Symptoms of Anxiety Following an Accident Though anxiety and depression often go hand in hand, especially following a traumatic auto accident, the symptoms of anxiety are different, and anxiety and depression can be experienced together or separately.iii The symptoms include feelings of tension and worry, even when the victim is in no danger whatsoever. Their irrational fears interfere with their ability to go to work or school, or to continue with their daily lives.
These victims usually know that their fears are unwarranted, but they are unable to control these feelings anyway. They avoid situations likely to trigger anxiety, and may experience panic attacks, which causes the heart to race and pound. These victims fear that a catastrophe is always around the corner, even in the absence of any danger. For car accident victims, the person may refuse to drive or even ride in a vehicle. Seeking Compensation for Your Depression and Anxiety If any of the above symptoms of anxiety and depression sound like you or a loved one following an accident, it's important to seek counsel from a reputable auto accident lawyer. Depression and anxiety do not normally go away on their own, and the victim will need intensive therapy and possibly expensive medications. Many are unable to continue working and need compensation for these lost wages. The good news is that a financial settlement can often alleviate some of the stress the victim endures following an accident, which can help their outlook and encourage them to continue fighting their anxiety and depression. Without financial help, many victims merely add the new expenses and lost wages to their long list of stresses, making their depression and anxiety considerably worse. Edson Legal has experience fighting for victims' rights, and can help you or a loved one get the assistance needed to overcome anxiety and depression for good.