Sufferers of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) aren’t getting the care they need, according to a leading doctor.
Writing in an article for the BBC, Doctor Dr Jennifer Wild of the Institute of Psychiatry at King's College London says that GPs don't know enough about what PTSD is and how it should be treated.
PTSD is a severe anxiety disorder that can develop after exposure to any event that results in psychological trauma. This may include (but is not limited to) a car accident, injury received in the workplace, death of a loved one, personal injury and other psychologically damaging events.
It is estimated that over 700,000 suffer from PTSD in the UK but less than half receive help from their GP and those who do are often given addictive drugs for depression or sleep disorders rather than therapy to target the cause of the problem.
People who have suffered through a trauma and are suffering with PTSD can get cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT), one of the leading treatments for PTSD. If this patient is not entitled to this therapy free on the NHS, the cost can be claimed from the person who caused the trauma (where the person can be identified).
For example, if you are suffering from PTSD as a result of a personal injury that wasn’t your fault, the cost of the cognitive behavioural therapy could be claim for from the person or company who caused the accident.
If you think that you might be suffering from PTSD as the result trauma caused by an accident that wasn’t your fault, call us today on 0800 612 7445 for free advice on how to make a claim for personal injury compensation to cover the cost of therapy and to reimburse you for your injury.