Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (commonly abbreviated to PTSD) is a serious condition that can have a range of difficult affects on the sufferer. PTSD is a psychological condition that is often serious when formally diagnosed. In some ways it can be a bit of a step up from anxiety, and is often linked with conditions relating to depression.
It can be caused by a multitude of things, and it is recognised as an ‘injury’ that can be claimed for in a personal injury case. Normally the cause is related to a singular or series of events or occurrences that has some form of adverse psychological effect on you – for example, a near death experience, or witnessing a horrific and / or violent incident.
Being involved in an accident itself when severe enough can leave you suffering from PTSD – being hit by a lorry on a motorway, causing your car to spin out of control and flip several times could easily cause it. For those brief seconds that feel like years as everything falls in to slow motion, you convince yourself you are going to die, and panic sets in…
So how can you have a claim for PTSD? Well referring again to the example above, it could be an addition to a physical injury sustained. If you suffer a serious injury, like a loss of limb or a permanent disability, you could end up suffering with the condition as well. But being in an incident where you escape lightly in terms of physical harm could still leave you with a severe case of PTSD. Say for example you swerve to avoid a car that has veered on to your side of the road, causing you to lose control of your vehicle, spinning round for several seconds, but end up at the side of the road once your vehicle has come to a stop. In a situation where you are not in control and your life is in the hands of luck, fate, or whatever deity you may believe in, you are susceptible to suffering psychologically.
Diagnosing PTSD
My understanding and experience of PTSD is that it can be difficult to diagnose. You may not even know that you are suffering from it until you have a sudden breakdown, or others may notice changes in your personality. You may feel absolutely fine, but others have noticed you are not your usual self. You may make little mistakes in everyday life – like putting the kettle on and forgetting you were ever going to make a cup of tea, or leave the front door unlocked overnight – mistakes that you wouldn’t normally make. A lack of concentration without even realising it can be a common symptom of PTSD.
There are more obvious signs, such as flashbacks, or nightmares, or doing out of the ordinary things, or perhaps hiding yourself away in your house. But ultimately, it’s difficult to suddenly stop and say to yourself “oh, perhaps I’m suffering from PTSD…”
If you are involved in such an incident, it’s probably worth seeing your doctor, even if you do feel fine; especially if those close to you say they are noticing changes in your behaviour. It’s better to be safe than sorry.
As I said before, it could be a chain of events that have built up and ultimately caused you to suffer psychologically. Depending on the nature of the incidents and how they were caused could depend on whether you have a claim or not.
Making a Claim
It can be difficult to comprehend that you may be entitled to compensation when you don’t have a single scratch or physical pain in your body – but there is such thing as a psychological injury. We assess the value and merits of claims using medical evidence; if you fracture your arm, we will send you to see an orthopedic expert normally. If you suffer PTSD, we will send you to see a psychologist. As with any other expert, a report is produced and we can prove that you have suffered psychologically through no fault of your own.
If your PTSD was caused through the fault of someone else, you may be entitled to thousands of pounds in compensation for the suffering you have had to endure.
More often than not, counselling or some form of cognitive behavioural therapy is the resolution for PTSD; but it can be a long and difficult journey to get back to where you were before.
For confidential advice about making a claim for PTSD, call our free claims helpline on 0800 634 75 75 for an informal, no obligation chat.
