When you face stress constantly, or witness or are part of a traumatic incident, there’s a chance you could develop Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, or PTSD. PTSD ranges in its severity, and some people can work fine with it while others struggle to hold a job due to anxiety and other issues. People who struggle with PTSD need help in and outside of the work environment.
PTSD usually develops after a traumatic event. For example, if a workplace accident results in a colleague’s leg needing to be amputated, that could cause others who witnessed the accident to suffer PTSD. The person who suffered the injury may develop PTSD as well.
There are three parts to PTSD. PTSD has avoidance symptoms, arousal and intrusive symptoms. The avoidance symptoms are as they seem. They are symptoms that help you avoid an episode of anxiety or depression. For example, if you have PTSD from the above work accident, you may avoid seeing the people you know from work or avoid going to work.
If you have arousal symptoms, the body is in a constant state of anxiety or arousal. This is not sexual in nature but instead a consistent form of anxiety, uneasiness, jumpiness and emotional reactions.
Finally, intrusion symptoms impact your ability to live life. These symptoms intrude on everyday activities. For example, you may work working when you have a flashback of the traumatic event and have to stop working.
How can you get the help you need?
Since PTSD is an emotional or psychological disorder, if is related to your time on the job, you should be able to seek workers’ compensation to get the medical care you need to treat it. If you have your claim denied due to the type of injuries you’re reporting, your attorney can help you appeal that denial. You’ll want to include information from your doctor about your psychological health to support your claim for compensation.