Different types of psychological damage
You will always face a storm of emotions after an accident. Sometimes this is all, but sometimes you may also experience more intense forms of psychological damage. Below, we discuss some of the forms we often see in practice.
Relapses
When you have experienced an accident, it can cause certain triggers. For example, suppose you have been bitten by a dog. Then, walking around the park where barking dogs are playing can trigger re-experiences. This makes it seem like you are in the same situation again as when you were attacked by the dog.
You may have flashbacks, shaky legs, heart palpitations and difficulty breathing. This causes you to avoid certain places to avoid reliving the traumatic event.
Anxiety symptoms
Besides re-experiencing, you may also suffer from anxiety symptoms. For example, you are afraid to go out on the scooter after being hit head-on. When you do take the scooter, you stiffen up completely, causing arm, back and neck pain when you reach your destination. In addition, you may also experience panic attacks while driving, such as when a motorist coming from the opposite direction wants to overtake a car in front.
In such situations, you may start hyperventilating, which is dangerous for you and other road users. This can cause you to develop further anxiety symptoms. If you are on the back of a scooter, your traffic anxiety may be even more intense, as you will be completely out of control. In the worst case, your anxiety symptoms can transform into an anxiety disorder.
Acute stress disorder
Immediately after an accident, you can develop acute stress disorder. Suppose you have been hit on the motorway and the fire brigade has to come to cut you out of your car, this event may have been so traumatic for you that you are in shock for a few weeks. You startle easily, are anxious and irritable, and experience memory, concentration and sleep problems. This lasts for up to four weeks. If your symptoms persist longer, you may be dealing with post-traumatic stress disorder.
Post-traumatic stress disorder
The trauma of the accident can be so intense that you acutely develop post-traumatic stress disorder. You then suffer from re-experiences that may come up at any time of the day, you close yourself off from the outside world and other people, and you feel gloomy and tense, which may manifest itself in sleep and concentration problems, outbursts of anger and excessive alertness, among other things. Going out by car, you will try to avoid as much as possible, but even the sound of a horn or the sight of a fire engine can be a huge trigger for you.
Depression
An accident can have intense effects on your daily life. For example, suppose you end up in a wheelchair after being kicked by a horse. You have always played sports at a high level, but are now forced to give that up. Even in your private life and at work, you can no longer fully participate. This means rearranging your entire life. This is often accompanied by intense emotions which can lead to depression. You feel gloomy and do not feel like doing anything. These are very understandable emotions. It takes time to find a new turn and get on with your life.
Physical complaints without a cause
Sometimes, after an accident, you may have physical complaints that cannot be explained physically. For example, you may suffer from palpitations or dizziness. Your symptoms are real, but a doctor cannot find a physical explanation for them. This may be your body’s way of coping with the traumatic event. In the medical world, these symptoms fall under somatoform disorders. Some disorders that fall under this include a:
- conversion disorder, which means you cannot move your legs, for example.
- pain disorder, which means you experience a lot of pain in your back, for example
These disorders can greatly disrupt your daily life. It can also cause a lot of insecurity, because your symptoms cannot be explained and this can cause misunderstanding in those around you.
