How A Car Accident Can Change Your Personality

How A Car Accident Can Change Your Personality

No one likes to hear that their personality is changed. But it’s also very difficult for car accident victims to identify personality changes on their own. It is also a challenge for doctors to assess and identify personality disorders or changes because they simply don’t see their patients for long periods of time frequently. A car accident can change your personality, and it can lead to severe distress not only for the victim but their family and friends as well.

Personality changes that arise out of car accidents don’t just come on because of the event itself. Personality change could spark because of the trauma of the accident, new panic or anxiety disorders, and extreme injuries, including traumatic brain injury or disfigurement. Many people have never mentally prepared themselves for the possibility of their personality drastically changing overnight.

Trauma and PTSD

One recent study specifically looked at the Association between Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder and personality changes. Initially, the research focused on a handful of people, but the conclusion was that many people or individuals who experienced PTSD after an intense or traumatic event would have ongoing or chronic changes in the function of their person. What that means, is that the personality changes someone experiences two months after a car accident, aren’t the end of those personality changes.

The study summarized that chronic or enduring changes in the function of a person could lead to social problems, a comma the risk of ongoing development, and further stress with the loss of a sense of self.

Virtually any type of severe trauma can lead to PTSD. While in the decades prior, PTSD was limited to soldiers, and violent crime survivors, many doctors, are accepting that PTSD can come from car accidents as well. Additionally, after a traumatic crash, it is not uncommon for survivors to undergo evaluation for potential new panic or anxiety disorders. It is possible for a doctor to assess and diagnose a temporary version of panic, trauma, or anxiety.

Extreme Injuries and Disfigurement

Panic, trauma, and PTSD can lead to personality changes due to response. In those cases, the person’s personality changes because they have new fears and new anxieties, leading to their decision making and life choices. When it comes to extreme injuries, personality changes have a completely different root cause.

Some time ago, NBC News covered a series of victims of traumatic brain injury who all experienced extreme personality changes. These victims included a car accident survivor and a snowboarder who both sustained a traumatic brain injury through blunt force trauma. The car accident survivor, Mac Fedge, acknowledged the difference in his personality was like the ability to think fondly of an old friend. He then explained that his good sense of humor and his inclination towards leadership were both gone after the crash. A doctor speaking with NBC on behalf of the Transitional Learning Center noted that brain injury and personality changes are difficult to understand and difficult to explain.

Traumatic brain injury can impact different parts of the brain with different degrees of severity. But a brain injury in one part of the brain does not exclusively mean that personality won’t be affected. When it comes to emotion, happiness, pleasure, and aspects of your core personality, there is no central location in the brain that controls those functions. However, doctors are working to understand how damage to certain parts of the brain can create new behavior patterns in a person’s personality. For example, damage to the frontal lobe, which often provides the executive functioning of planning and organizing, may lead to impulsive behavior and easy irritation.

Your Lawsuit and Hiring a Henderson Car Accident Lawyer

If you’re facing personality changes after your car accident, then you may have hidden injuries or extreme trauma that needs addressing during your crash resolution. During crash resolution in the state of Nevada, you have the opportunity to seek compensation for pain and suffering. If you were someone who went from being outgoing and a bit of a thrill-seeker to someone who is a shut-in, you might have tremendous pain and suffering to add to your crash resolution claim.

Adjusting to a new lifestyle, adjusting to the trauma of a crash, and adjusting to personality changes is not easy. What you can do is involve a Henderson auto collision attorney who can take care of the more tedious elements of the crash resolution. That should mean that they not only collect evidence, but also negotiate on your behalf and understand how to value the damage associated with PTSD, extreme injuries, and the impact of new conditions on your life. Reach out to our team at Christian Morris Trial Attorneys for help today.