Mental trauma after an accident can severely limit your ability to resume regular activities. It is normal to experience distress after a car accident, but treatment may be necessary if it is prolonged and interferes with daily functioning. The right support makes recovery from emotional trauma after a car accident attainable.
During a car accident, a series of events can unfold that can cause lasting emotional trauma, including life-altering injuries, the threat of death, and the death of someone else. Emotional trauma is a natural response to such a dramatic chain of events. It is a function of the brain’s complex survival mechanisms.
Emotional trauma from a car accident should not be viewed as a weakness, but as a type of injury that may require treatment for the best possible outcome, much like any physical injury.
a Traumatic Car Accident
Approximately one in six traffic accident survivors develop moderate mental health symptoms, regardless of the severity of the physical injuries. If you did sustain severe injuries, this can add significantly to your emotional distress as you struggle to cope with pain or adapt to a disability, which may be long-term or permanent.
Psychological distress can hinder wound healing and adversely affect the immune system. Sleep can be difficult due to depression, anxiety, or nightmares. You may find yourself repeatedly reliving the accident. Some people turn to drugs and alcohol to help cope, but this only worsens depression and anxiety.
Emotional distress can have profound effects on your daily life and physical recovery. You may suddenly be afraid of driving or being in a car, making it difficult to leave your home for work, medical treatment, or other needs.
Even if you overcome the fear of traveling to treatment, the demands of physical therapy and rehabilitation can be overwhelming when you’re depressed or physically exhausted. If you don’t complete treatment, your prognosis worsens, increasing your anxiety and depression and creating a vicious cycle.
Grief is not limited to the death of a loved one. Non-bereavement grief is mourning for other losses, including the loss of health, independence, opportunities, and financial security because of disabling physical injuries. It is a yearning for a return to your pre-accident life and difficulty accepting changes that may be permanent.
Whether you experience grief because of your injuries or the loss of a loved one in the accident, grief is associated with an increased risk of developing other psychological disorders, such as post-traumatic stress disorder and depression.
Acute stress reaction is a stress response that leads to increased anxiety, mood changes, and even dissociative symptoms in response to a car accident. You may experience insomnia, nightmares, or flashbacks. You may experience extreme anxiety about riding in a car or driving. In some cases, even being near a car can be a trigger.
These are normal responses to a car accident that can happen to anyone. It may occur two days to a month after the accident. It is common to experience an acute stress reaction even if your injuries aren’t severe. If your acute stress reaction lasts longer than a month, it may be diagnosed as post-traumatic stress disorder.
Post-traumatic stress disorder, or PTSD, is an anxiety disorder caused by extremely stressful events. People with PTSD experience similar symptoms as people with acute stress reaction, but the symptoms fail to improve and may even worsen with time. Motor vehicle accidents are the leading cause of PTSD in the general population.
PTSD affects approximately 32.3 percent of car accident survivors, according to a study published in the Journal of Clinical Medicine. The authors noted that previous studies have reported that as many as 45 percent of accident survivors may develop PTSD. The study found that the following populations were most likely to experience post-traumatic stress disorder after a car accident:
People who see themselves as having lower economic status.
People with previous psychiatric illnesses.
Survivors who were not at fault for the accident.
Survivors who perceived a threat to their lives during the accident.
Female accident survivors.
Your risk of developing PTSD may also be higher if you sustained a traumatic brain injury from the accident. Even mild traumatic brain injuries can alter brain functioning and compromise your ability to regulate emotions and process the trauma. The risk increases with more severe traumatic brain injuries.
In addition, the symptoms of traumatic brain injury and PTSD overlap, making it challenging for doctors to determine whether your symptoms stem from PTSD or a traumatic brain injury.
Depression affects approximately 17.4 percent of car accident survivors. Depression can occur alongside PTSD or by itself. It is a natural response to a major stressor such as a car accident, but if it is prolonged, interferes with your daily activities, or leads to suicidal thoughts, you may require treatment.
Depression may stem from the onset of chronic pain or new disabilities caused by the accident, such as full or partial paralysis, amputations, severe burns, and brain injuries. You may feel alone, helpless, and hopeless as you try to come to terms with such drastic life changes.
You may feel like a burden to those who must care for your needs. You may even wish you had died in the accident or contemplate suicide. The more pervasive these thoughts become, the more urgent it is to seek help. If you have suicidal thoughts, please call the 988 Lifeline for free, confidential emotional support.
Depression is a natural part of the grieving process when you’ve lost so much, but with the right support, you can reach a point of acceptance and adapt to these difficult changes. You don’t have to feel this way forever.
If you survived a car accident in which someone else died, it is common to feel guilty for having survived. This is known as survivor’s guilt. It was considered a symptom of PTSD at one time, but it can occur without PTSD.
Human beings are born with a certain sense of equity and fairness. If you survived and your friend or family member did not, you may feel you are not entitled to be alive or that it is unfair that you were allowed to live when the other person died. You may even feel as though you did something wrong by surviving.
There are no moral underpinnings behind why one person survives a car crash and another doesn’t. While grieving the loss of another, it is not uncommon to wish it had been you instead of them, but if this is anything more than a fleeting thought, it can increase depression and suicidal thoughts.
It is important to talk to your doctor about these feelings. Your doctor should be able to refer you to a qualified therapist who can offer cognitive behavioral therapy, which involves retraining the mind to interpret the car accident and your loved one’s death differently.
Most people will experience anxiety in the immediate aftermath of a car accident. It is common to feel uncomfortable driving or riding in a car for some time after your accident. If your injuries are severe, feeling anxious about your health, finances, and future is normal.
However, persistent anxiety that doesn’t resolve over time can become crippling. Approximately 5.8 percent of car accident survivors develop persistent anxiety. Untreated anxiety can cause excessive worry, fatigue, irritability, insomnia, stomach problems, and a poor quality of life.
You don’t have to live with anxiety after a car accident. Cognitive behavioral therapy, medication, or a combination approach can help you overcome anxiety and restore peace of mind.
Mental Health Effects After an Accident
Predicting how a particular individual may respond to a car accident is impossible. Anyone can experience mental trauma after a car accident. However, numerous characteristics increasing the risk of a strong trauma response following a car accident have been identified.
Resilience is the ability to recover from emotional trauma and adapt to sudden changes, such as disabling physical injuries. People with a higher degree of resilience are generally less likely to suffer severe and prolonged emotional trauma after a car accident.
A 2016 study found that certain psychological characteristics decrease resilience, which increases the risk of a psychiatric or psychological disorder following a car accident. These characteristics include the following:
Lack of a fear of death.
Severe physical suffering.
Real or perceived social disapproval.
By contrast, people who love life and have hope for the future typically have higher resilience. It is important to note that resilience, or lack thereof, is not a measure of strength or superiority. People with lower resilience may have experienced trauma in the past or other challenges that make them more vulnerable.
Self-efficacy is confidence that you can reach your goals in the face of unexpected challenges. If you have a high level of self-efficacy, you have a lower risk of developing post-traumatic stress disorder or other mental health disorders after a traumatic event such as a car accident.
People with a high level of self-efficacy have often overcome hurdles in the past. Their confidence comes from knowing they can manage difficult circumstances. Self-efficacy is also higher in people with a strong social support network.
Car accident injuries can be life-altering, especially if they involve the following:
Spinal cord injuries resulting in paraplegia or quadriplegia.
Moderate or severe traumatic brain injuries.
Loss of one or more limbs.
Loss of bodily functions such as bowel or bladder control.
Severe, widespread burns.
Severe scarring or other forms of disfigurement.
These injuries can result in complete dependence on others, loss of financial and social status, and chronic pain. This can create a cascade of thoughts and emotions, including a fixation on the accident. Physical and hormonal changes can also contribute to emotional dysregulation and a lower tolerance to stress. This may be why multiple studies have found an association between PTSD and injury severity.
The support of loving friends and family members has long been established as an important protective factor against developing post-traumatic stress disorder. A strong support system can provide you with an outlet to express negative emotions, provide comfort, and enhance treatment.
Friends and family members can help you maintain a routine, restore a sense of normalcy, and provide reassurance about the future.
Resilience is the ability to recover from emotional trauma and adapt to sudden changes, such as disabling physical injuries. People with a higher degree of resilience are generally less likely to suffer severe and prolonged emotional trauma after a car accident.
A 2016 study found that certain psychological characteristics decrease resilience, which increases the risk of a psychiatric or psychological disorder following a car accident. These characteristics include the following:
Lack of a fear of death.
Severe physical suffering.
Real or perceived social disapproval.
By contrast, people who love life and have hope for the future typically have higher resilience. It is important to note that resilience, or lack thereof, is not a measure of strength or superiority. People with lower resilience may have experienced trauma in the past or other challenges that make them more vulnerable.
Self-efficacy is confidence that you can reach your goals in the face of unexpected challenges. If you have a high level of self-efficacy, you have a lower risk of developing post-traumatic stress disorder or other mental health disorders after a traumatic event such as a car accident.
People with a high level of self-efficacy have often overcome hurdles in the past. Their confidence comes from knowing they can manage difficult circumstances. Self-efficacy is also higher in people with a strong social support network.
Car accident injuries can be life-altering, especially if they involve the following:
Spinal cord injuries resulting in paraplegia or quadriplegia.
Moderate or severe traumatic brain injuries.
Loss of one or more limbs.
Loss of bodily functions such as bowel or bladder control.
Severe, widespread burns.
Severe scarring or other forms of disfigurement.
These injuries can result in complete dependence on others, loss of financial and social status, and chronic pain. This can create a cascade of thoughts and emotions, including a fixation on the accident. Physical and hormonal changes can also contribute to emotional dysregulation and a lower tolerance to stress. This may be why multiple studies have found an association between PTSD and injury severity.
The support of loving friends and family members has long been established as an important protective factor against developing post-traumatic stress disorder. A strong support system can provide you with an outlet to express negative emotions, provide comfort, and enhance treatment.
Friends and family members can help you maintain a routine, restore a sense of normalcy, and provide reassurance about the future.
Resilience is the ability to recover from emotional trauma and adapt to sudden changes, such as disabling physical injuries. People with a higher degree of resilience are generally less likely to suffer severe and prolonged emotional trauma..