Relationships

Relationships: Personal Injuries unseen Casualty

One of the frequent collateral casualties of personal injury are the existing family and social relationships. In my personal experience in workers compensation, motor accident claims and public liability I have often seen the victims pain and anguish doubled or trebled when their spouses, children and friends leave or just leave them alone.
For example:

Truck driver away from home overnight for weeks at a time is isolated at home on workers compensation while recovering from injury. He harasses the wife and children out of boredom or insecurity. In spite of a previously loving relationship Dad is alienated. So a three month time off work leads to the complete loss of the pivotal relationships.
A survivor of a naval disaster who looks as if he came out unscathed begins to act in totally different ways. Nightmares and being quick to anger leads to violence. I have interviewed a number of adult children of these survivors to find out they hate their parent who in their bewilderment and illness made their families lives hell.

What a terrible cost to society.

Basically the victims experience real loss of self worth and fear about their future. Depression is often the result. Victims of personal injury may be described as clingy, demanding, dependent, or insecure as a result of this. Depression can be reduced by the maintenance of close relationships but strangely and tragically it becomes self fulfilling as close ones keep away because it just becomes exhausting to deal with the victim in perpetual gloom.

Also subtle brain injuries can cause changes in personality that while hard to detect can devastate the lives of those effected. This can be gradual like a psychological injury or overnight. People previously likeable and switched on become hard to get along with and dopey.

Victims will often self treat these conditions with alcohol or other destructive past times, which makes it worse.

This is why I emphasise that treating the mental symptoms of personal injury is just as important as treating the physical. Never be afraid to talk about these symptoms or feelings with your GP. The doctor can be the hub for treatment. Don't let your life slip away because of pride or being fearful of being labelled as soft. Check these links for help with depression and relationship tension (act before its "relationship break-up").

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Relationships: Personal Injuries unseen Casualty

3.25 Copyright (C) 2007 Alain Georgette / Copyright (C) 2006 Frantisek Hliva. All rights reserved."