Motorcycle accidents are a major cause of serious injury and death in the United States. Beyond the physical injury, they also experience psychological trauma, including post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
These become too much for the survivors to heal from the physical and mental injury. You can learn more from the information given below about several factors that contribute to the increasing risk of PTSD in accident survivors.
What Is The Impact Of An Accident On Motorcycle Riders?
Unlike occupants of closed vehicles like cars, motorcycle riders do not have metal cage protection.
This built-in vulnerability can be a scary experience; this leads to them feeling exposed and unsafe. The seriousness of physical injury later worsens the trauma; it leads to flashbacks, nightmares, and hypervigilance – all classic symptoms of PTSD.
How Do They Get Affected mentally?
Motorcycle accidents can have long-term effects on mental health, with survivors experiencing PTSD symptoms. PTSD is a mental health condition that develops due to traumatic events, indicated by intrusive thoughts, flashbacks, nightmares, and anxiety issues.
After a motorcycle accident, survivors may replay the traumatic event in their minds, which leads to emotional distress. Due to this, they avoid riding as the fear of riding again and getting involved in another accident can affect them too much.
These avoidance behaviors greatly affect their quality of life and sense of well-being.
What Are The Factors That Increase The Risk Of PTSD?
Several factors increase the risk of PTSD after a Motorcycle accident:
The severity of their physical injury gives rise to the psychological trauma they have experienced. Severe injuries that require longer medical treatment and rehabilitation or result in permanent disability may raise their feelings of helplessness and vulnerability.
Individuals involved in motorcycle accidents may witness or cause harm to themselves or others; this leads to guilt, remorse, or guilt of being the survivor. Witnessing the injuries of fellow riders or pedestrians can cause them to raise the development of PTSD.
Social support plays a very important role in healing from traumatic experiences. Individuals who do not have strong support networks may face issues with their emotions, and they may feel isolated in their healing journey.
Limited access to mental health resources can further delay the healing process for motorcycle accident survivors.
Motorcycle incidents pose a great risk of physical injury and psychological trauma, including PTSD, to some individuals involved. So, if you are involved in an accident and experiencing such issues, contact your doctor and get professional help for your recovery journey!