Slip and fall accidents that result in head injuries can cause a broad range of life-changing consequences. Sometimes, a detrimental effect appears weeks or even months after the accident, and the insurer is likely to dispute whether that effect is actually due to the incident. People may develop post-traumatic stress symptoms long after their physical injury occurred, and they may have a tough time convincing an insurance company the psychological problem is connected with the accident. Yet studies have found that some 33% of people who experience a traumatic brain injury develop some type of psychological or psychiatric disorder. That could be an anxiety or panic disorder, depression, substance abuse, or another type of problem.
Research has looked at whether serious mental illness, such as schizophrenia, can be triggered by head injuries. There is still no clear answer, but academic investigators have found a significant association between schizophrenia onset and a traumatic brain injury. The brain injury did not need to be particularly severe to cause problems later. Some studies show the risk of serious mental illness doubles after a head injury.
Psychiatric professionals understand some individuals are at risk of developing schizophrenia but never do. Others experience a gradual or sudden onset of the disease for no apparent reason, although it may run in the family. Research has found that using mind-altering drugs can lead to psychosis in certain individuals. Similarly, slip and fall accidents that cause traumatic brain injury may also be the trigger for schizophrenia in a person who might never have developed this mental illness otherwise.
An individual who now has symptoms of schizophrenia after an accident that caused a head injury must have the diagnosis confirmed by a medical professional before he or she will be able to make this part of a settlement claim. Even then, a law firm such as Martinez & Associates must provide aggressive representation to convince an insurer to pay compensation for the mental illness. That corporation will have its own investigators uncovering research that disputes findings associating serious mental illness with brain injuries. Visit Martinezlaw.com for more details on this organization.
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