Depression After a Serious Injury

Depression often invades the life of someone who has been seriously injured, especially for those who face months or years of care to recover. Control over physical pain and function, their finances, their daily life and their future often seems to have disappeared.

The experienced personal injury attorneys at Horwitz, Horwitz & Associates take great care to make sure clients understand the challenges they face, including the risk of depression during difficult times, and take steps to prevent unnecessary hardship through open channels of communication and updates.

Collateral Damage

Regardless of whether a client’s injury stems from a work related accident, an auto accident, a medical procedure or product that failed, or some other form of negligence, a serious injury forces the victim to consider the potential for collateral damages far beyond today’s physical pain and limitations.
Pain, as well as the strong medications used to treat it, often prevent people from seeing beyond their current situation and lack of control, leaving the door open to fear of the “what if?”
Unexplained loss of Workers’ Comp benefits, communication difficulties with insurance companies, and denial of medical claims can quickly send the walls crashing in on someone who always played by the rules and were injured through no fault of their own.
Over time, worry, long term medications for pain and general uncertainty can spiral into various forms of depression, many of which can be easily treated.
It’s important to speak with your Chicago negligence attorney and your physician about lingering or increased depression as soon as possible, as they can help you avoid further difficulty. Your attorney can also assist in obtaining an evaluation with your physician or a specialist.
Attorney Marc Perper talked to me about my injury… explained that it wasn’t just a physical injury, but a mental injury too.”