Aug 27, 2013 in News Physical and Psychological Injuries

Physical and Psychological Injuries: Depression and Personal Injury: There's a Link

[caption id="attachment_5320" align="alignright" width="300"] (Photo credit: Sander van der Wal/Wikimedia Commons)[/caption]Think there could be a link between serious personal injury and depression? Depression and pain almost go hand in hand.

People with chronic pain have an incredibly high risk of developing depression. People with brain injuries are eight times more likely to become depressed than the general public. A study done by San Diego State University on 400 injured youths found that at discharge, 41 percent were depressed. It also revealed that severely injured people were twice more likely to be depressed than those with moderate injuries.

Depression is a mood condition where sufferers experience severe despair beyond your typical ?blues?. The mental health condition affects emotions, physical health, relationships, and work performance and is quite common. About 10 percent of Canadians experience a mood disorder at some time and The World Health Organization estimates that by 2020, depression will be the biggest medical health burden. Depression is just that common, yet only half of us would admit to a friend that a family member had mental health issues. Take a major injury, add severe depression, then tack on the stigma that goes with it, and you have yourself too much on one plate.

Then there is Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, (PTSD) the mental health issue often experienced by people with major injuries. PTSD sufferers have flashbacks and nightmares where they relive the traumatic event. They often experience emotional numbing soon after the event which later leads to social withdrawal, and they can even have dissociative states where they believe they are actually reliving the scenario. PTSD affects one in ten and usually begins within three months after the event. The San Diego State University study said that teens with PTSD have high chances of later developing acute stress disorder.

There has also been a study on the correlation between brain injuries and depression. A group of 559 people with brain injuries were followed for the first year after their injury and 53% of this group were found to have major depression.

Fortunately there is an upside to all of this. As explained by Psychology Today, Rational Emotive Behaviour Therapy (REBT) is more than positive thinking. It's a way of thinking that is logical and realistic that can get patients to recognize that their injury is not their fault, and that they are not the only one overcoming an injury.

The personal injury and accident lawyers at Neinstein Personal Injury Lawyers have been handling accident injuries for clients throughout Ontario for over 40 years. We understand the impacts injuries can have on your life and know how to help you. Call us at 416-920-4242. Set up a free consultation and come talk with us.