You have a challenge ahead of you after suffering an injury at work, whether it was physical or emotional. Emotional injuries can be just as traumatizing as physical ones, yet often they are treated as if they are less important or do not have a significant impact. However, you and other New Jersey residents who are experiencing emotional trauma know that the effects can last long after your physical wounds have healed.
The Mayo Clinic explains that emotional injuries, such as post-traumatic stress disorder, anxiety and depression, can result in physical symptoms over time. For example, if you suffer from chronic anxiety and PTSD after witnessing a co-worker’s serious accident, after a few months the stress could manifest in the form of migraines, joint pain and heart palpitations. Untreated depression that is exacerbated by your work conditions might cause fatigue and difficulty concentrating, and negatively impact your ability to work. As you may know, many forms of emotional trauma do not improve without therapy or medication, and your physical symptoms may also need to be treated by a doctor.
The professionals who approve workers’ compensation claims often focus on how an injury physically affects someone. However, many work-related emotional injuries are also eligible for workers’ compensation benefits. You might have an easier time being approved for your claim if you can show that your emotional trauma is also causing physical symptoms. You may also appeal a denied claim if you believe it was wrongfully turned down. Since this topic is complex, the information in this blog post should not replace the advice of a lawyer.