It is common to feel a certain amount of stress after a traumatic event. A life-changing motor vehicle crash, an incident causing injury at work or another occurrence can lead to a long recovery in a hospital or even loss of life. However, while physical wounds may not be the worst of it, anyone who experiences trauma can suffer in other less obvious ways.
Signs of emotional distress
Each person handles emotional distress in their way, but experts cite such typical symptoms as:
- Difficulty readjusting to life at work or home
- Engaging in risky behavior
- Eating too much or too little
- Sleeping too much or too little
- Excessive use of drugs, alcohol or medication
- Isolating from friends and family
Those who survive a traumatic injury may also experience specific environmental sensation triggers that bring them right back to the event that caused the anxiety. It may be sirens, activities like riding in a car or returning to a specific location. The trigger causes fear that the traumatic event is about to happen again.
Treatment for these injuries
Loved ones can show compassion, patience and care for those who endure these injuries. However, treatment by a professional therapist may the best way to address the issue. If this trauma resulted from someone’s intent to inflict harm or their negligent actions, it might be necessary to file a lawsuit.
5 factors for proving emotional distress
It can be difficult to prove because signs of physical injury could long since heal. However, certain details can help strengthen a case for emotional distress:
- Intensity: The impact of the anguish is such that it is debilitating.
- Duration: Severe pain remains for an extended period.
- Related physical injury: The symptoms can lead to physical symptoms like ulcers, chest pain or headaches.
- Underlying cause: The extreme nature of the event that caused the trauma can help support the claim.
- Doctor’s or therapist’s analysis: It may be necessary to draw upon mental health experts’ knowledge to provide a detailed picture of the injuries.
Proving emotional distress can be challenging
The details of each victim’s injuries are different, but more than one of the above factors will likely be necessary to prove emotional distress in a court of law. Fortunately, victims can get help from an experienced personal injury attorney to help detail the injuries’ scale. This can help ensure that the injured get all the compensation they deserve.