What is Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)?
Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is a mental health condition triggered by a terrifying or stressful event, either experienced or witnessed. Symptoms include flashbacks, nightmares, severe anxiety, and uncontrollable thoughts about the event. PTSD is not limited to war veterans; it is also common among people involved in serious accidents or suffering severe injuries.
According to the American Psychiatric Association (APA), PTSD is defined as “a psychiatric disorder that can occur in people who have experienced or witnessed a traumatic event such as a natural disaster, a serious accident, a terrorist act, war/combat, rape, or other violent personal assault.” As such PTSD symptoms are often triggered by traumatic events. \
Treatment for PTSD often involves psychotherapy (such as cognitive-behavioral therapy or eye movement desensitization and reprocessing) and, in some cases, medication to manage symptoms. Understanding PTSD is vital for healthcare providers, mental health professionals, caregivers, and society as a whole to effectively recognize symptoms, provide compassionate care, and advocate for resources and policies that support individuals living with PTSD and promote mental health wellness.
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Iraqi Vet From Carbondale Wins $3.7 Million for PTSD
A Pennsylvania federal judge has awarded $3.7 million to an Iraqi war veteran who said Veterans Affairs doctors failed to properly treat his post-traumatic stress disorder.
U.S. District Judge James Munley issued an order January 16 in favor of Stanley Laskowski III and his wife Marisol.
Laskowski was treated at the Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Plains Township.
Since October 2001, approximately 1.6 million U.S. troops have been deployed in Afghanistan and Iraq. Evidence suggests that many returning service members suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder, depression and traumatic brain injury.
This is from the Times Leader:
Laskowski, of Carbondale, filed suit against the VA in 2010, alleging physicians there were grossly negligent in the care they provided him for PTSD he developed during a tour of duty in Iraq with the U.S. […]
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How Can a Dog’s Bite Harm You?
Of the millions of dogs that are owned by people and families in the United States, a majority are extremely friendly and loving, even to strangers, and never cause anyone harm. However, unfortunately, there are many dogs that are aggressive and attack people, often causing unsuspecting people extreme harm, both physically and psychologically.
While some dog bites may only be minor, resulting in superficial cuts, others can cause debilitating physical harm. Some of the most common effects of dog bites include:
- Lacerations (cuts)
- Broken bones
- Infections
- Disfigurement
- Scarring
- Paralysis
- Nerve damage
- Emotional / psychological harm
Often times, it is the psychological damage that a dog bite victim sustains that is the most damaging. Not only do many victims of such attacks suffer from issues such as post-traumatic stress disorder that cause lasting fear and trauma, […]
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Kentucky Woman Awarded Over $800,000 in Tractor-Trailer Crash
A Kentucky woman was awarded more than $800,000 by a Vanderburgh Superior Court jury for injuries she suffered in a 2008 vehicle accident with a Fat Boys Trucking semi. The tractor-trailer driver was cited for disregarding a traffic signal after he ran a red light at U.S. 41 and Indiana 57 in Evansville, KY and struck the woman’s van.
The woman has been unable to work since suffering knee and shoulder injuries and post-traumatic stress disorder as a result of the accident, according to her lawyer. The lawsuit was filed seeking compensatory damages against the trucking company.
The woman was traveling westbound on Indiana 57 attempting to turn south onto U.S. 41. when her Dodge Caravan was struck by the semi as it came through the traffic light. The woman’s van then went to the left, overturning on its side. The truck was hauling over 100 cattle from Kentucky to Kansas. […]
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Family Awarded $7 Million in Wrongful Death Claim
Man volunteered to drive church bus, gets hit and killed by tractor trailer
A widow and her two sons were awarded $6.7 million by a jury in Fresno County, California in the death of her husband who was struck by a tractor-trailer while filling the bus he had been driving with fuel. The wrongful death award also included over $500,000 for a nephew who witnessed the accident and has suffered from depression and post-traumatic stress disorder.
The deceased had volunteered to drive the Sierra Pines Church of Oakhurst bus. When he pulled over on the side of highway State Route 99 in Merced County to put fuel in the bus in April 2009, two approaching semis “became entangled as one attempted to pass the other.” One of the trailers hit the man and the bus.
Lawyers presented testimony, which led to a verdict well beyond the $3 million offered as settlement, […]
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