Welcome to the Hardison & Associates, LLP website for Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD for the
Triangle area of North Carolina. In addition
to providing information on the disorder and its treatment, this site
introduces our firm. For over twenty years, we have been providing quality
legal services to clients throughout North Carolina. By concentrating on
Personal Injury law, we have gained extensive and practical experience in
personal injury, worker's compensation, medical malpractice, catastrophic
injuries, psychological damage cases including PTSD, mass torts, nursing
home negligence, social security, and prescription drug cases. The firm’s
founders, Kenneth L. Hardison and Benjamin T. Cochran have committed
themselves to justice and personal client attention. The entire team of
legal professionals at Hardison & Associates share their client focus and
ethics. Trauma leaves its mark and the parties that caused you harm
through negligence, careless or maliciousness need to be held accountable
for their actions.
Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is an anxiety disorder that occurs
following exposure to a terrifying event or incident where grave physical
harm took place or was threatened. PTSD can happen to people who have
experienced or witnessed natural disasters, military combat, terrorist
attacks, serious accidents and violent physical assaults. PTSD victims
suffer what is known as “secondary wounding”, which refers to the trauma
victims suffer during the actual event and then the terrifying flashbacks,
nightmares and misunderstanding of those around them. This is a serious
disorder that can impair a victim’s life in both psychological symptoms
and physical ways.
An estimated 7.8% of Americans will face PTSD sometime in their lives and
approximately 5.2 million adults between the ages of 18 – 54 currently
suffer from PTSD. Women are almost twice as likely as men to develop the
syndrome. Victims of PTSD are at risk for developing other mental
illnesses including panic disorder, phobias, major depressive disorder and
obsessive-compulsive disorder. Social anxieties, marital and parenting
problems, occupational instability, divorce, drug addiction (attempts to
self-medicate), and memory problems continue to torture the victim long
after the actual event has passed. Some are driven to suicide.
Formerly called “shell shock” or “battle fatigue syndrome” because it was
initially seen in combat veterans, PTSD is often been misunderstood or
misdiagnosed. Most individuals exposed to a traumatic event experience
some form of the disorder in the days and weeks following the incident,
while an estimated 30% of these victims develop chronic, life-long
problems. Symptoms usually manifest themselves in one of three ways:
- Intrusion where traumatic memories of
the event occur unexpectedly. These episodes are called “flashbacks” and
intrude into the victim’s current life. Sounds, smells and may other
incidents can trigger a flashback, leaving the victim feeling helpless
and afraid.
- Avoidance interferes with the victim’s
relationship with others. PTSD causes the individual to avoid intimate
relationships with family, friends and colleagues. Sufferers also avoid
situations that may remind them of the event.
- Hyperarousal can cause PTSD victims to
feel constantly threatened by the trauma and they react with unprovoked
irritability or explosive outbursts. They are always waiting for the
next disaster.
Research on PTSD supported by the National
Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) and the Department of Veterans Affairs
(VA) has helped to develop a variety of effective treatments for victims
of the disorder. Cognitive-behavioral therapy, group therapy and exposure
therapy have helped patients work through trauma. Medications can ease the
symptoms of depression and anxiety while promoting sleep for those who
suffer insomnia.
As personal injury lawyers, we believe that another effective treatment
for PTSD is the ability to take some control of your life. If you are a
victim of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, you probably feel very
vulnerable and isolated. We have seen many clients’ whose confidence has
been restored by seeing justice done. By holding those responsible for
their accident legally accountable, our clients often feel more control
over their situation and their lives. While financial restitution cannot
compensate for the anguish of PTSD, victims can benefit from the knowledge
that those who harmed others must pay for their actions. Please call
Hardison & Associates, “the people’s law firm” at 1-800-434-8399, or
contact us via e-mail.
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