Do anxiety attacks, chronic depression, or emotional distress prevent you from completing tasks at work and home? If so, maybe you have work-related post-traumatic stress disorder. North Carolina workers may receive workers' compensation for PTSD if they meet the legal requirements.
Keep reading to learn if you might be entitled to workers' compensation disability benefits for PTSD.
How Does an Employee Develop PTSD Because of Their Job in North Carolina?
Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a psychological disorder often associated with servicemembers returning from war. However, anyone can develop PTSD after witnessing or experiencing a traumatic or life-threatening event.
Risk factors for developing PTSD include, but are not limited to:
- Experiencing trauma during childhood
- Having little to no support after a traumatic event
- Being female increases the chances of developing PTSD
- Having a history of substance abuse or mental illness
- Going through a traumatic event that lasts a long time
- Feeling extreme fear, helplessness, or horror
- Dealing with extra stress after the event
Specific work environments and job duties can increase the risk of developing PTSD for some workers. For instance, first responders often witness and deal with horrific and traumatic situations as part of their jobs. These events can result in PTSD over time, or one traumatic event could result in PTSD.
When your symptoms continue for more than a month and interfere with your daily activities, it would be wise to seek medical attention to determine if you have work-related post-traumatic stress disorder.
What Are the Signs and Symptoms of PTSD?
Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a mental health disorder diagnosed by psychologists and other qualified medical providers. Everyone reacts to stress and trauma differently. Therefore, medical professionals analyze a person's symptoms and note how long the symptoms have persisted.
Generally, there are four types of PTSD symptoms doctors note when diagnosing PTSD:
- Avoidance symptoms: You try to avoid situations and people that remind you of the event, such as staying away from specific places, cutting ties with people involved, etc. You may also avoid feelings or thoughts that could trigger memories of the event.
- Re-experiencing symptoms: These symptoms occur when you feel or re-experience the trauma again, such as having nightmares, flashbacks, or terrifying thoughts.
- Mood and cognition symptoms: You experience adverse changes in your feelings and beliefs, such as having negative thoughts about yourself, others, and the world. You may blame yourself and feel guilty. You may also have trouble remembering things about the traumatic event and concentrating on activities.
- Reactivity and arousal symptoms: You may feel on edge or tense, and can be easily startled. Symptoms may also include sleep disturbances and episodes of anger or emotional outbursts.
A doctor performs a mental health screening and physical examination to diagnose PTSD.
How Is PTSD Diagnosed?
Generally, a diagnosis of PTSD requires that the doctor determine the patient has the following symptoms for at least one month:
- Two or more symptoms of cognition and mood
- Two or more symptoms of reactivity and arousal
- One or more symptoms of avoidance
- One or more symptoms of re-experiencing
The treatment plan for PTSD depends on the patient's unique factors and circumstances. Common PTSD treatments include medications and talk therapy. There are several types of medications doctors may prescribe for PTSD. The medication used depends on the patient and their symptoms.
What Types of Workers' Compensation Benefits Can I Receive for a PTSD Disability Claim?
PTSD can cause emotional numbness, mood swings, anxiety, sleep issues, and difficulty concentrating, often leaving workers constantly on edge. When these symptoms affect job performance, workers’ compensation may be available, but proving that PTSD is job-related can be challenging, especially when employers or insurers try to downplay or deny the connection.
You need an experienced Charlotte workers' compensation lawyer to help you gather evidence proving dangerous working conditions or a specific trauma that led to your PTSD diagnosis. If your job caused your PTSD, you can receive paid medical treatment for your condition. If PTSD prevents you from working, you may also receive wage benefits while you are out of work.
Get Help with a PTSD Workers' Compensation Claim in North Carolina
Even if your job was the cause of your PTSD diagnosis, it can be challenging to prove the link between work and your disability for workers' compensation. An experienced personal injury attorney understands the complexities of workers' compensation claims for PTSD and how to help workers seek the disability benefits they deserve.
Contact Riddle & Riddle Injury Lawyers to discuss your situation with a Charlotte workers' compensation lawyer.
Contact a Personal Injury Lawyer from Riddle & Riddle Injury Lawyers for Help Today
For more information, please contact Riddle & Riddle Injury Lawyers to schedule a free consultation with a personal injury lawyer in North Carolina today. We have five convenient locations in North Carolina, including Greenville, Raleigh, Goldsboro, Jacksonville, Kinston, Charlotte, Greensboro, Durham, Fayetteville, Wilmington, Winston-Salem & Garner.
Riddle & Riddle Injury Lawyers - Greenville Office
300 E Arlington Blvd Suite 2A #110, Greenville, NC 27858
252-397-7400
Riddle & Riddle Injury Lawyers - Raleigh Office
4600 Marriott Dr STE 500, Raleigh, NC 27612
919-459-7855
Riddle & Riddle Injury Lawyers - Goldsboro Office
601 N Spence Ave, Goldsboro, NC 27534
919-759-6963
Riddle & Riddle Injury Lawyers - Jacksonville Office
3391 Henderson Dr, Jacksonville, NC 28546
910-910-1860
Riddle & Riddle Injury Lawyers - Kinston Office
807 N Queen St, Kinston, NC 28501
252-397-0134
Riddle & Riddle Injury Lawyers - Charlotte Office
1914 J N Pease Pl Suite 142, Charlotte, NC 28262
704-781-7980
Riddle & Riddle Injury Lawyers - Greensboro Office
7B Corporate Center Ct Suite 15, Greensboro, NC 27408
336-395-5349
Riddle & Riddle Injury Lawyers - Durham Office
100 E Parrish St STE 200, Durham, NC 27701
919-925-6039
Riddle & Riddle Injury Lawyers - Fayetteville Office
2517 Raeford Rd, Fayetteville, NC 28305
910-387-0861
Riddle & Riddle Injury Lawyers - Wilmington Office
1608 Queen St Suite 12, Wilmington, NC 28401
910-889-3926
Riddle & Riddle Injury Lawyers - Winston-Salem Office
102 W 3rd St, Ste 1007, Winston-Salem, NC 27101
336-396-6310
Riddle & Riddle Injury Lawyers - Garner Office
500 Benson Rd Suite 111, Garner, NC 27529