Like with many other cities in Georgia, Union City has got its fair share of auto crashes. These accidents often cause severe injuries for the victims and necessitate a personal injury claim against the offending driver. As a result, many of the injury cases personal injury attorneys handle in Union City are auto accident claims.
Besides physical injuries, car crash victims can suffer economic losses due to medical expenses and lost incomes. They can also suffer prolonged psychological problems and PTSD (Post-traumatic Stress Disorder). Sometimes, these victims may develop a fear of driving called vehophobia. This condition means that the victim develops crippling anxiety behind the car wheels even long after the crash.
Common symptoms of vehophobia include trembling, sweating, and panic attacks while attempting to drive. If you have post-accident vehophobia, you may think that you’ll never be able to drive again. Fortunately, however, you can overcome this phobia or discomfort through several remedies. We’ll discuss those remedies below.
How Can I Treat My Vehophobia After a Car Accident?
If you have a phobia of driving, you should see a doctor. Your physician would usually advise the following:
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Medical Treatment
Your doctor can place you on anti-anxiety pills like BuSpar to help you deal with vehophobia. This medication works by targeting the serotonin levels in the brain. Medical treatment may also involve taking beta-adrenergic blocking agents to help reduce the effects of adrenaline. However, anti-anxiety pills can be addictive, so following your doctor’s prescription religiously is essential.
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Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)
Cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) is one of the most effective means of dealing with your fear of driving. Apart from treating phobias and anxiety, CBT effectively manages depression, eating disorders, and other mental illnesses. First, cognitive-behavioral therapy works by helping you identify the negative thoughts responsible for your phobia. Next, it helps you challenge and replaces those thoughts with healthy ones through proven self-help techniques.
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Exposure Therapy
Exposure therapy will treat your vehophobia by exposing you to what you fear and helping you to confront it. So, instead of avoiding what you fear, exposure therapy helps you face your fears head-on instead. In addition, exposure therapy is done in a safe environment, with your therapist guiding you gently on confronting your anxiety.
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Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR)
Eye movement desensitization and reprocessing usually start with your therapist asking you to recall unpleasant memories from your accident. While you do that, your therapist will ask you to pay attention to external stimuli. Next, you’ll take deep breaths and discuss your new distressing thoughts with your therapist. Finally, you’ll repeat this process, focussing on your new thoughts, and continue the cycle till you feel better.
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Defensive Driving Course
You can decide to take driving lessons to ease your anxiety and rebuild your confidence on the road. Defensive driving courses will teach you how to minimize risks on the highway. But, again, having a professional driving instructor in the car with you can help.
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Support Groups
Talking to your friends and loved ones about your fears can help. You can also find a support group and share your stories with persons who have similar symptoms. Sometimes, writing your fears and experiences in a journal can help too.
Can I Get Compensation for My Fear of Driving in Union City?
In a personal injury claim, you’ll usually get compensation for medical bills, damaged property, and lost income. Those are called economic damages because they have a verifiable monetary value. But, asides from those, you can also get non-economic damages for non-financial losses.
Non-economic damages cover the psychological and emotional pain that the accident caused you. These are losses that have no verifiable economic value and can not be quantified. For example, non-economic damages include compensation for pain and suffering, loss of companionship, emotional distress, anxiety, etc. As such, you can get compensation for your vehophobia under non-economic damages in your personal injury claim.
We’ve Got the Best Personal Injury Attorneys at Your Service!
Do you have PTSD and vehophobia after an auto crash in Union City? Then our car accident attorneys can help you get adequate compensation while you focus on your recovery. At The Weinstein Firm, we understand just how terrible the psychological effects of a traffic crash are. So we’d do all we can to alleviate your suffering by facilitating speedy and fair compensation on your behalf.
Since time is of the essence in personal injury claims, act now and take advantage of our free consultation immediately. We are available round the clock to listen to you and proffer the best solutions for your case.
