Study Psychological consequences for traffic accident victims

Psychological consequences: traffic accident victims often alone

08/27/2014

After traffic accidents, the victims' physical wounds are quickly treated medically. But many traffic accident victims also suffer from mental illnesses. Not a few of them are on their own and find it difficult to find support. This can aggravate or even cause the symptoms.

Psychological sequelae in every fourth traffic accident victim
The physical injuries of traffic accident victims, such as cuts, bruises or fractures are usually quickly supplied by doctors. However, the psychological consequences of such events often go unnoticed. Inner restlessness, nightmares, constantly relived memories: those affected often remain on their own. As a study of the Federal Highway Research Institute (BASt) revealed, every fourth victim of traffic accidents suffers from psychological sequelae such as anxiety, depression or a post-traumatic stress disorder.

Complaints can occur months later
The researchers interviewed about 200 seriously injured women and men, including at the beginning of their hospital stay and six to twelve months after the accident. Thus, the symptoms often develop shortly after the experience, but can occur only months later. Wolfgang Maier, President of the German Society for Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Psychosomatics and Neurology (DGPPN) said, according to a message from the news agency dpa, that the investigation „more a random character“ have, but „a realistic picture“ show. According to the expert, psychological consequences of accidents are not uncommon and for sufferers a painful problem that is often neglected in diagnostics and patient care.

Deficiencies in the health system and insurance
Maier also believes that hospital staff are often not sufficiently sensitized to factors that favor mental sequelae. „Mental long-term disorders can not be determined in two or three weeks of treatment after an accident“, explained the expert. „But medics would have to recognize, for example, the risk if a patient has no family connection and is alone with his worries or if he was previously mentally ill.“ In his opinion, deficiencies in the health care system and in the insurance industry also contribute to the poor care of accident victims. The general shortening of hospital stays makes it difficult, for example, to recognize psychological consequences of ailments and to treat them specifically. Another problem is the difficulty for accident victims to get a place to therapy including the reimbursement and compensation by the car insurance of the accident causer.

Feeling of helplessness
„Accident victims feel that they are at the mercy of this situation and treated unfairly: they suffer both physically and mentally, but they receive no support“, said Maier, who speaks of a vicious circle in this context. Especially the feeling of helplessness favors psychological problems or could even be the trigger for it. Also Stefanie Jeske, founder and chairman of the association Subvenio in Dusseldorf, which dedicates itself to the victim assistance, reports from their experiences with affected: „A cash patient hardly has a chance to get a therapy place quickly after an accident - six months waiting time or more are not uncommon among psychologists.“ According to the expert, there is often a lengthy back and forth with the insurance until the costs of psychotherapy are taken over. „To do this, the patient must provide medical evidence of the need. Unfortunately, I have not yet received a hospital report, which also takes into account the psychological side“, so Jeske.

Mental illness for many a taboo topic
„Unfortunately, mental illness is still a taboo topic for many - including relatives or friends who see signs of it in close people“, Jeske continues. The success of a therapy largely depends on how quickly a disease is recognized and treatment is started. „Many sufferers develop due to the experience of avoidance behavior, for example, for fear of driving after an accident. Over time, this behavior can crust and is then the more difficult to treat.“ According to Jeske, this means for motor vehicle insurers: „They would have to adjust much more to the early detection and early treatment of psychological consequences of accidents - such as the statutory accident insurance in the professional field.“

Provide quick and easy help
According to DGPPN President Maier, insurers would also be better off financially, providing better and easier help with foreseeable or acute psychological consequences of an accident. This is because an uncomprehending or even dismissive attitude on the part of the insurance company reinforces the feeling of being left out - the most important risk factor for psychological long-term consequences after a crash that is not caused by one's fault. „On the other hand, the success of therapy is favored if a patient has the feeling that they receive the help without having to fight for years and often even in court.“

Eyewitnesses also struggle with mental health problems
Not only victims of traffic accidents, but also witnesses of such events often have to deal with serious mental health problems. The Institute for Psychological Accident Aftermath (ipu) in Cologne pointed this out years ago. According to this, eyewitnesses often suffer from trauma and sometimes have significant psychological stress symptoms, which may also be associated with physiological disorders such as respiratory distress, cardiovascular disorders, eating disorders, impotence or stomach problems and intestinal disorders. Typical consequences are insomnia and nightmares. (Ad)