This article looks at the research of Dr Manda Holmshaw PhD, consultant clinical psychologist and clinical director of Moving Minds, and Wilson Carswell OBE FRCS, medical director which looks the need for psychological rehabilitation for victims of Road Traffic Accidents.
The rehabilitation of those injured in a road traffic accident has been acknowledged as being important in assisting the victim to recover faster from their injuries and resume their routine work and social activities. However, the fact that psychological rehabilitation is as important as physiological, especially with regard to cases where trauma causes prolonged illness or problems has not always been acknowledged.
In the moment when an individual is involved in a Road Traffic Accident (RTA), they normally experience severe panic, believing that they are going to suffer serious injuries or even succumb to them and die. The defence mechanisms in the brain operate for the removal of these memories from the front of the mind, thereby enabling the victim to deal with such trauma shortly after they are formed. However, this process is interrupted in some cases of trauma and the person may begin to suffer long term psychological problems as a result of the accident. These conditions include Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PSTD) and Travel Anxiety which may hinder the resumption of an active and happy life for the victim.
An experiment in Oxford was conducted by Professor Mayou with 1000 RTA victims as they arrived into Accident and Emergency. The patients underwent various standard psychological tests to detect if they were experiencing any psychological problems after the accident. The tests were followed up in the next three years. The majority of the test subjects were deemed not badly injured enough to require admittance into a hospital, although one in three was showed to be suffering from a psychological disorder. Over the test period, this number gradually reduced to one in four victims showing effects of psychological disorder three years following the accident.
This poses a major problem when you take into account the fact that the majority of the group involved in the study had not yet been admitted to hospital, yet 25% of them showed signs of suffering conditions such as depression and PTSD years after the RTA occurred.
Evaluation and Diagnosis
Over the years, psychologists have studied various kinds of psychological illnesses. Tests have thereafter been developed to research the symptoms in order to determine which problem the patient may be suffering from. Various widely validated tools have been used by psychologists to support their diagnosis including the Clinical Administered PTSD Scale (CAPS), the Impact of Event Scale (IES) and the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS). Others include the General Health Questionnaire (GHQ) and the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) and the Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI).
Psychological Assessment
Psychological assessment is vital in the management of RTA victims who have experienced this type of trauma and possibly suffered injuries. This psychological assessment should be conducted in the patient’s home by the Clinical Psychologist or Psychiatrist or in their consulting premises.
A psychological assessment usually costs between 300 and 500 and lasts for around an hour and a half. During this time a test will determine the health of the person prior to their accident and the details of the accident will be noted. The Psychologist will then use the tools mentioned to diagnose any conditions present and then prescribe the correct course of treatment. Many Psychologists reports use the Rehabilitation First Code of Practice which means the form of reporting is independent and can be used in a claim for compensation if necessary.
Treatment
Medication is sometimes used and is especially helpful to those with depression; however RTA victims who often have PTSD or Travel Anxiety will find no benefit from medication as drugs do not assist the brain to integrate their difficult experience.
Where RTA victims need the brain to integrate the bad experience, medication has not proved useful to this end although it is shown to be very beneficial when treating depression.
Counselling also has proved unbeneficial to PTSD sufferers whose problems stem from one event like an RTA.
It is thought that both CBT and EMDR have similar success rates although more sessions of CBT are needed to produce the same recovery. Exposure therapy, although successful is currently used less frequently as treatment for PTSD but was used often in the Eighties.
How to get Help
If you have been in a road traffic accident and are concerned that you may be suffering psychological problems due to the accident, you should consult your GP who will be able to make the suitable referrals for you to receive any treatment you may need.
You could also be entitled to make a personal injury claim for compensation. You should look for an experienced legal practice to handle your case such as Duncan Gibbins Solicitors based in Manchester who specialise in RTA cases and offer a no win, no fee service.
Want to find out more about how you may be able to claim compensation if you’ve been involved in a RTA, then visit Duncan Gibbins Solicitors who specialize in personal injury cases.
