Burn injuries do not only cause scarring and physical discomfort. As a burn injury victim, you may deal with effects in practically every area of your life, including your psychological state.
Burn injuries can leave you with lasting emotional distress and depression. And you can pursue financial compensation for all of these damages. Reach out to the experienced Gastonia personal injury lawyers at Horton & Mendez Injury Attorneys today to learn more about filing a lawsuit or claim and schedule a free initial consultation.
Why Burn Injuries Cause Psychological Injuries
Your distress from a burn injury can result from a number of reasons. You may have flashbacks to the accident that caused your injury and remember the helpless feeling of trying to put out the flames or the sharp pain that you suffered at the time. As many as one-third of burn injury patients may suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder in the months and years afterward.
A burn injury patient may be depressed and anxious about their altered appearance. Burn injury victims often do not regain the appearance they had before the accident and may feel self-conscious or upset about their appearance.
Burn injuries can also place stress on family and interpersonal relationships. The pressure that you are dealing with, along with your weakened emotional state, can cause relationships to deteriorate under the strain.
Finally, you may also be anxious about your life with the burn injuries. You may have a number of worries on your mind all at once, including how you will deal with the financial effects of your accident and how you will live with these painful injuries for the rest of your life.
How To Cope with the Psychological Effects of Burn Injuries
Each burn injury victim may cope with their injuries in different ways. Often, that stress you are under impacts your ability to make decisions.
You should be proactive when seeking mental health care. It certainly cannot hurt to learn coping strategies from a mental health professional who can listen and provide guidance. You should consider working with a burn injury center to find a professional who specializes in assisting burn injury victims.
Some burn injury victims may require help from a neuropsychologist, who specializes in the brain effects of physical pain. You may also need a psychologist as part of your treatment team.
Due to things like skin grafts and the constant pain of a burn injury, you may not have as much time to focus on your mental health. However, you need to prioritize your emotional well being because dealing with the long-term process of recovering from burn injuries can be mentally taxing.
Support Systems for Burn Victims and Their Families
If you have been treated at a burn injury center, you may have received psychological help in dealing with the effects of your injuries before you were discharged. It is vital that you continue with this treatment for as long as possible.
There are numerous organizations that focus on providing emotional help and support for burn victims and their families. You should get in touch with one or more of these organizations to learn more about the resources they offer. They may have specialists who can connect you with resources in your local community and help establish a support system.
Some of these organizations include:
- Burn and Reconstructive Centers of America
- International Association of Burn Camps
- Phoenix Society
- Fire & Burn Foundation
- Johns Hopkins Burn Center
- American Burn Association
You may also want to connect with other burn injury survivors who are dealing with something similar. It always helps to speak with others who are experiencing what you are so you can share what you are feeling and lean on each other for mutual support. The same thing goes for your family members. They can also speak with other families who have had a loved one who suffered serious burn injuries.
Compensation for the Psychological Effects of Burn Injuries
When you are able to prove that someone else was to blame for your burn injury, they take on the legal obligation to pay you for all of the harm they caused, including both physical and psychological injuries. Non-economic damages are a major component of your personal injury compensation. When you are suffering from depression and emotional distress from burn injuries, the responsible party should pay for those damages.
It is up to you to document the psychological effects you have suffered. Always seek help from a mental health professional who will provide treatment notes that describe what they have seen.
It is vital that you see a mental health treatment provider shortly after you begin experiencing depression or other psychological effects. The insurance company may minimize the psychological injuries that you are dealing with after a burn injury. An experienced burn injury lawyer can help you document your case so you can receive the highest amount of compensation possible.
Contact Our Experienced Gastonia Personal Injury Lawyers Today
You may be entitled to significant financial compensation if you have suffered a burn injury. Not only can you recover financial losses, but you are also paid for the non-economic damages you have suffered, and they can be considerable. Horton & Mendez Injury Attorneys can help you learn how much you may be due in compensation and will fight for you to get every dollar. You can speak to one of our attorneys by sending us a message through a website or by calling us today at 910-405-7751.
