Many people suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder. Post traumatic stress disorder is often referred to as “PTSD.” PTSD is a severe anxiety disorder commonly surviving a terrifying event or seeing another person killed or seriously harmed.
Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) can develop following a traumatic event that threatens a person’s safety or makes them feel helpless. Most people associate PTSD with battle-scarred soldiers involved in military combat. However, any person can develop PTSD. Any overwhelming life experience can trigger PTSD, especially if the event feels unpredictable and uncontrollable.
PTSD can affect those who personally experience the catastrophe, those who witness it, and those who pick up the pieces afterwards, including witnesses family members, emergency workers and law enforcement officers. It can even occur in the friends or family members of those who went through the actual trauma. PTSD develops differently from person to person. While the symptoms of PTSD most commonly develop in the hours or days following the traumatic event, it can sometimes take weeks, months, or even years before they appear. It is not uncommon for people to suffer PTSD after witnessing serious events or experiencing a near death experience.
Our lawyers have experience dealing with the issues arising from complicated cases such as PTSD. We have the expertise to handle post traumatic stress disorder cases.
While everyone experiences PTSD differently, there are three main types of symptoms:
- Re-experiencing the traumatic event
- Avoiding reminders of the trauma
- Increased anxiety and emotional arousal
Symptoms of PTSD: Re-experiencing the traumatic event
- Intrusive, upsetting memories of the event
- Flashbacks (acting or feeling like the event is happening again)
- Nightmares (either of the event or of other frightening things)
- Feelings of intense distress when reminded of the trauma
- Intense physical reactions to reminders of the event (e.g. pounding heart, rapid breathing, nausea, muscle tension, sweating)
Symptoms of PTSD: Avoidance and numbing
- Avoiding activities, places, thoughts, or feelings that remind you of the trauma
- Inability to remember important aspects of the trauma
- Loss of interest in activities and life in general
- Feeling detached from others and emotionally numb
- Sense of a limited future (you don’t expect to live a normal life span, get married, have a career)
Symptoms of PTSD: Increased anxiety and emotional arousal
- Difficulty falling or staying asleep
- Irritability or outbursts of anger
- Difficulty concentrating
- Hypervigilance (on constant “red alert”)
- Feeling jumpy and easily startled
Experiences which can lead to PTSD include war, serious accidents, witnessing a death, rape, assault, kidnapping, crimes, childhood neglect, and death of loved one, natural disasters.
PTSD can be manifested in a variety of ways: including but not limited to difficulty sleeping, nervousness, flashbacks, frightening thoughts, depression, stress, anxiety, inability to cope and tenseness.
The Post Traumatic Stress Disorder lawyers at Quinn Thiele Mineault Grodzki LLP can take the stress of dealing with insurers and adjusters. We handle all the legal issues while you concentrate on getting better. We know qualified experienced medical experts that can properly assess PTSD.