Workers’ compensation sizes up PTSD

On Behalf of | Jun 21, 2018 | Workers' Compensation |

Post Traumatic Stress Disorder is something many Florida residents are likely familiar with. It is often spoken of in relation to military veterans coming home from war zones and struggling to cope with what they witnessed in battle.

Veterans are not the only individuals to face PTSD, however. Anyone who has encountered trauma may have difficulty putting the memories of it behind them. The National Institute of Mental Health sheds light on the challenges of PTSD, defining it broadly as “a disorder that develops in some people who have experienced a shocking, scary, or dangerous event.”

Fight or flight?

The institute says the natural fight-or-flight response helps those who face danger, and for good reason. It can save lives. When it cannot seem to turn itself off in individuals, though, they tend to stay hypervigilant and feel scared even when they are safe. 

Workers’ compensation and PTSD

In 2018, a connection between PTSD and workers’ compensation is coming to the forefront of discussions about workplace events. The National Council on Compensation Insurance says it is possible for employees who witness violence on the job to display symptoms of PTSD. The same is true for those who encounter accidents in which colleagues are severely wounded or do not survive. 

The NCCI notes first responders “are particularly susceptible” to PTSD. They tend to suffer from it more than the general population due to the extreme dangers they witness daily at work. 

Any worker on any job can face the difficulties of PTSD, though, and the NCCI predicts it will be increasingly important to the conversation surrounding workers’ compensation mostly because of more “stressful work conditions, greater awareness of these injuries and broadening workers’ compensation eligibility requirements. 

 

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