The Impact Of A Personal Injury At Work On Your Mental Health

When you suffer from a serious injury or even a minor injury that is caused by the negligence of others, you will definitely be frustrated. Besides the physical effects of your injury, you will likely have to deal with mental health issues and emotional anguish as well. 

Most individuals who were injured at work are prone to develop depression and lose the ability to work productively. In the following points, we will discuss the psychological repercussions of workplace injuries on the victims, and how they can be compensated by the company they work for.

Physical Injuries and Their Relation to Mental Injuries 

When an individual is involved in an accident on the job, even if it didn’t occur on company property, their resulting physical injuries can often be easily diagnosed and treated. However, when it comes to mental health suffering, the negative effects resulting from an accident are often overlooked. Injured employees will no longer be able to participate in corporate events that require physical activity. They might also require assistance to carry out the tasks they used to do before. This may be a big problem for those who are naturally self-reliant. It may even cause problems at home for those who need extra assistance in carrying out their daily tasks. If they are unhappy at home, they are likely to be more prone to depression, which can affect their ability to work properly. For this reason, physical and mental injuries are closely linked. This is also why personal injuries at work can affect the quality of a worker’s life negatively and the way they earn their living. 

The Mental Health Impacts of Workplace Injuries

Many forms of psychological losses can strike an injured worker. An injured employee might suffer from depression while trying to adapt to their new life after their injury. They might also develop stress or sleep disorders. They may even develop post-traumatic stress disorders, which can force them to avoid certain places and situations after their recovery. Some patients experience weight fluctuation, disrupted sleep, loss of appetite, and mood swings. Sometimes, victims who were injured at work recover from their physical injuries faster than they recover from their psychological injuries. Anxiety and stress-related disorders can take years to recover from, which is why an employee’s quality of life can take quite the hit after suffering from an injury at work. 

Reimbursement 

Workers suffering from personal injuries also suffer numerous losses after their workplace accidents. These losses should be covered by their employers in the form of financial reimbursement for their hardships. In Florida and other states,  business owners are legally mandated to ensure their employees’ safety on the premises. The Spring Hill-based lawyers from https://www.zervosinjurylaw.com/spring-hill-personal-injury-lawyers/ explain that business owners and property owners, in general, are responsible for ensuring that their premises are free of any potential hazards that can cause injuries to their visitors or employees. If one of the employees is injured on the job, they can file a lawsuit against their organization and claim compensation for their medical bills and psychological treatment. Victims are also entitled to paid time off for recovery or compensation for the loss of wages resulting from an accident that affected their ability to work. 

Diagnosing Mental Health Injuries

Mental or psychological injuries are harder to diagnose as opposed to physical injuries since they are not readily apparent. This leaves the jury or judge with only one option, which is to assess the victim’s mental damage. This, of course, leads to inconsistent results and many injured victims fail to obtain their needed treatment for the emotional damage and mental injuries they sustained. The best thing to do after an accident is to speak to or consult an experienced therapist that can help you deal with your mental distress in a healthy manner. This way, you will be able to diagnose your case and prove your mental injury to receive the proper treatment and compensation you deserve. 

Dealing with personal injuries is not easy; it requires a lot of patience, support, and motivation. In most cases, victims who were injured at work are entitled to receive compensation for their medical treatment, prescription medication, psychological treatment, and lost wages. This compensation is the business owners’ duty toward their workers, which is why there are regulations in place to ensure the safety of employees and grant them their rights when they are exposed to hazardous situations at work. The law is on your side, so if you are suffering mentally or physically due to a workplace accident, don’t hesitate to consult a specialized lawyer and claim your rights.