Personal injury attorney
Our own Jay Vaughn recently published an article about post-traumatic stress disorder in The Advocate – Kentucky Justice Association. In the article, Jay explains PTSD, why it’s often overlooked and what attorneys can do. Take a look at this excerpt:
We are all accustomed to cases in which our clients have been seriously injured or a loved one dies after being involved in a crash with a tractor-trailer. Too often we focus on the physical injuries broken bones, disc injuries, chronic pain, etc.- but overlook the silent injury of Post-traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). The caveat is if the client has been diagnosed with a traumatic brain injury because, in many cases, PTSD is diagnosed along with TBI. The focus of this article is in the non-TBI situation.
What is PTSD?
PTSD is an officially recognized mental health condition some people develop after experiencing or witnessing a life-threatening event. Whenever you are faced with a potential PTSD case, you should immediately go to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, currently in the Fifth Edition, known as the DSM-5.” The American Psychiatric Association revised the PTSD diagnostic criteria in 2013 and included PTSD in a new category Trauma-and Stressor-Related Conditions. The diagnostic criterion for all of the conditions included in this new classification require
exposure to a traumatic or stressful event.
The DSM-5 criteria for PTSD, ICD-9 309.81 or ICD1 0 F43. 1 0, for adults, adolescents and children over six years old are as follows (the DSM-5 has separate criteria for children six years and younger):
Criterion A~ (one required)- the person was exposed to death or actual serious injury in the following way(s): •
Directly experiencing the traumatic event •
Witnessing the event as it occurred to others •
Learning the traumatic event occurred to a relative or close friend •
Indirect exposure to aversive details of the trauma
Criterion B (one required)- the traumatic event is persistently re-experienced in the following way(s):
Unwanted upsetting memories
Nightmares
Flashbacks
Emotional distress after exposure to traumatic reminders
Physical reactivity after exposure to traumatic reminders
Criterion C (one required)- avoidance of trauma-related stimuli after the trauma in the following way(s):
Trauma-related thoughts or feelings
Trauma-related reminders
For more info visit here: https://justicestartshere.com/
Hendy Johnson
We are excited to continue our growth and expand our resources with the addition of Jay Vaughn and the promotion of Sarah Emery to join the firm’s partnership. With a change, comes more change, which has presented us with the opportunity to rebrand our firm to more directly communicate our mission to our clients.