Assessing Pain and Suffering From PTSD

Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is a debilitating condition that occurs after a terrifying event. People who have PTSD will experience numerous thoughts and memories that are terrifying and emotionally numbing to the person. This can cause them to experience a lack of ability to enjoy life, especially with people who they were close to.

Events that Can Trigger PTSD

Traumatic events such as the following can cause a person to have PTSD in the future:

Rape
Mugging
Natural Disasters
Manmade disasters
Car accidents
Military combat

Types of Pain and Suffering Caused by PTSD

In addition to experiencing terror and emotional numbness, people who have PTSD can also experience periods of irritability and violent outbursts. They can also experience flashbacks of the event that caused their PTSD, sometimes lasting for days, making them believe that the traumatic event is happening all over again. Severe cases of these episodes can prevent PTSD patients from being able to work and socialize, which can affect their ability to work and their quality of life. One study suggests that PTSD patients lose an average of 3.6 days of work per month, costing the United States an estimated $3 billion per year in work productivity.

Proving that One Has PTSD and Should Be Compensated

Only if the symptoms mentioned above occur for more than 1 month will a person be diagnosed with PTSD. Usually, PTSD symptoms will manifest themselves within 3 months after the traumatic event took place, though there have been cases where the PTSD symptoms only develop years after the traumatic event took place. Some people recover within 6 months, some people recover after a longer period of time, some people never fully recover and overcome the PTSD symptoms.

PTSD is one of the few psychological conditions in which a person can be compensated. However, there are strict criteria that need to be met in order for the person to receive that compensation. He/She has to show that there was an action committed by a third party that caused the PTSD.

In January 2010, a study showed for the first time that PTSD can be objectively diagnosed using magnetoencephalography (MEG), a non-invasive measurement of magnetic fields in the brain. Researchers at the University of Minnesota and the Minneapolis VA Medical Center identified a biological marker in the brains of those exhibiting PTSD symptoms. Other tests such as X-rays, CT scans, and MRIs were unable to detect these same biological markers. The MEG also allowed the researchers to determine the severity of the patient's suffering.

This new MEG test may enable attorneys of PTSD patients to be able to gain pain and suffering compensation for their clients against those third parties who caused the PTSD.

Getting Legal Help

Proving you have the right for compensation due to PTSD is a challenging case that is not easily won in court. An established and experienced personal injury attorney can build the strongest case possible to prove that you have PTSD and that you should be entitled to compensation for having PTSD.

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