Traumatic Accidents & Mental Health
Bill Allen | August 4, 2025 | Personal Injury
Experiencing a traumatic incident, like a car accident, can mean facing not only physical injuries, but psychological ones, too. Although the latter are not as easy to spot, they can significantly impact your ability to live a happy and productive life. There are several common types of trauma after a car accident.
Depression
Car crash trauma often leads to depression. This mental health condition causes a persistent sense of sadness and hopelessness. It’s a complex issue that can stem from many reasons after a crash.
The physical injuries and the financial hardships that you may incur, combined with the extreme fright that you felt during the collision, may lead to changes in mood.
Depression occurs more often in people who experience catastrophic injuries like head trauma or spinal cord injuries. Not being able to live your life as you used to and depending on others for daily tasks can lead to mental health concerns.
Anxiety
Anxiety after car accidents and other traumatic events is the result of the unexpected and traumatic nature of the incident. This creates a feeling of vulnerability that could lead to hypervigilance and avoidance. Some people develop phobias related to driving or cars that could prevent them from living a normal life.
Even if you don’t have a particular fear, you can still suffer from generalized anxiety. This could result in a struggle with intrusive thoughts and physical symptoms such as trouble sleeping, panic attacks, and gastrointestinal issues.
Grief and Survivor’s Guilt
Trauma after an accident in which a loved one died can be even more severe. The feelings of grief can be overpowering and can be combined with survivor’s guilt. This type of guilt involves feeling responsible for the losses others suffered and even thinking that you don’t deserve to have survived. It can severely impact your quality of life and could potentially lead to self-harm.
Acute Stress Disorder
Acute stress disorder is a mental health condition that involves experiencing stress reactions days and even weeks after a traumatic event.
Stress responses could include:
- Numbness or detachment
- Intense fear
- Hopelessness
- Flashbacks
- Anxiety
You may seek to avoid anything that reminds you of the traumatic event. It’s similar to post-traumatic stress disorder, but the symptoms tend to last for a more limited amount of time.
Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder
Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) causes persistent symptoms that get in the way of daily life. You may experience intrusive thoughts, flashbacks, and nightmares, as well as negative changes to your mood and how you think. PTSD often causes people to isolate and feel detached from others, which makes getting help more difficult.
People who have PTSD will do everything they can to avoid anything that reminds them of the traumatic incident. They will also experience hypervigilance and can be easily startled.
Contact Our Gainesville Personal Injury Law Firm at Allen Law Accident & Injury Lawyers in North Central Florida
If you need legal assistance, contact the Gainesville personal injury lawyers at Allen Law Accident & Injury Lawyers at your nearest location to schedule a free consultation today, we’re open 24 hours daily.
We have three convenient locations in Marion County and Alachua County, North Central Florida:
Allen Law Accident & Injury Lawyers – Gainesville Office
2550 SW 76th St #150
Gainesville, FL 32608
(877) 255-3652
Allen Law Accident & Injury Lawyers – Downtown Gainesville
621 W University Ave
Gainesville, FL 32601
(866) 928-6292
Allen Law Accident & Injury Lawyers – Ocala Office
112 S Pine Ave
Ocala, FL 34471
(352) 351-3258
