Psychological assistance after an accident

According to world statistics, the most common type of accidents are transport - about 80% of the total. The main problems and consequences of an accident are questions about the upcoming repairs, fair compensation for damage, legal assistance. However, few people think about the need for the help of a psychologist after the emotional experiences of an emergency. All people are different, for someone even a minor accident can result in serious psychological consequences and troubles, for example, the emergence of fear of being behind the wheel of a car.

In psychiatry, there is such a thing as the "Afghan syndrome", which tells about the state of people who survived and participated in the events of Afghanistan. Veterans of the Afghan war constantly experience fear, a pronounced feeling of suspicion, obsession, etc. The same thing happens with drivers who have survived road accidents. Former participants in the accident constantly experience fear, getting behind the wheel, fear that the events of the accident could be repeated. In medicine, this condition is called post-traumatic stress disorder. If you experience the above symptoms, do not try to let everything take its course. Psychological assistance not received in time after an accident can result in serious consequences, up to family problems, irritability, aggressiveness.

How to restore the psychological state after a traffic accident?

So, never and under no circumstances should you blame yourself for what happened. No one is safe from an accident, and you did everything you could to prevent the onset of an unpleasant event. In addition, the state of fear and fright is a completely natural phenomenon, a protective reaction of the body to external pathogens. A person who once got into an accident will subsequently try not to repeat the emergency. For yourself, you need to learn what reasons led to the onset of the accident, what could be done to prevent an accident. The most important thing when there is a danger of a collision of vehicles is not to get confused, because in this state it is extremely difficult to react to the situation.

When criticism is not appropriate.

Very often, relatives, friends of a novice motorist who has been injured in an accident at the wheel begin to inspire him that it is too early for him to drive a car, and if we are talking about a woman, then it is better not to drive at all. This is a big mistake, because, in this way, a new driver, in addition to fear, also has a lot of complexes about his insolvency as a driver. In addition, especially emotional and sensitive natures can fall into a depressive state, especially for female drivers.

A constant reminder of the accident in a judgmental way will help provoke the next emergency on the road. In this regard, you should immediately talk with your loved ones, and ask them not to raise the topic of the events that happened anymore. According to psychologists, the sooner a person can drive again after an accident, the sooner he will be able to cope with his fears.

So, along with first aid, the victim should be provided with psychological assistance after an accident. It is not necessary to frantically look for a psychologist for this. It is enough to call our company "Legal Aid" and take advantage of qualified emergency assistance. Our specialist will arrive at the scene, assess the situation, circumstances. In addition, our auto lawyer has the skills of psychology, so he will provide the victim with psychological and moral support.

What is the psychological assistance after an accident? First of all, this is a procedure that includes a complex of influence on the emotional state of a person through the use of effective psychological methods. As a result of communication with the victim, there is a decrease in the emotional arousal of a person, a decrease in feelings about what happened, there is a clearer assessment of the situation in which he has fallen.

Why is psychological assistance after an accident so important and necessary?

The presence of a participant in an accident in a state of deep psychological stress can lead to the following:

• Expressed emotions, in the form of hysteria, stupor, uncontrollable anger, nervous trembling, aggressive behavior and other manifestations of a psychological disorder that require the immediate intervention of a psychologist;
• Falling into a panic state directly at the scene of the accident;
• Disorders of the general health of the victim in connection with the psychological trauma received at the time of the accident and after it.

The onset of these reactions of a person to the influence of external factors can be avoided if appropriate help and support is received in time. When contacting the company "Legal Aid", you will receive not only a wide range of legal services, but also high-quality and effective moral support!

According to a study by the World Health Organization (WHO), about 1.3 million people die in traffic accidents worldwide every year. The organization estimates that by 2030, there will be up to 3.6 million deaths on the roads. The largest number of victims was registered in the countries of Asia and Africa. In general, for developing countries, road traffic deaths are the fifth leading cause of death.

In Russia, about 27,000 people die in road accidents every year, and the total damage from road accidents reaches 2.5 of the country's GNP. At the same time, in Russia, since 2009, it is customary to consider people who died as a result of an accident if they died within 30 days from the moment of an accident (previously it was 7 days).

A road traffic accident (RTA) is an event that occurred during the movement of a vehicle and with its participation, which can lead to death or injury to people, damage to the vehicle (V) or other material damage.

The country has a road map in the field of road safety.

The risk factors contributing to the onset of an accident are:

• violation of the speed limit;
• alcohol intoxication;
• departure on a faulty vehicle (TC);
• neglect of seat belts and child seats;
• driver fatigue;
• poor quality road surface;
• difficult weather conditions;
• smoking, eating, talking on a mobile phone, loud music in the cabin, controlling the electronic devices of the vehicle while it is in motion;
• uncomfortable shoes (high heels);
• intentionally creating a situation of increased risk of collision.

In an accident, a person is in a stressful situation. This is due to the fact that an accident is an acute situation that threatens human life and health. The body is mentally traumatized. He usually responds to her with standard behavioral responses.

The first reaction. psychomotor agitation

This reaction is characterized by the appearance of a large number of fast, often superfluous movements that are performed without a specific goal. Tachycardia appears, blood pressure rises, the person's attention is disturbed, his speech takes on the character of a monologue, the pace of speech is fast.

The person involved in an accident feels thirsty and hungry. He also has a feeling of fear from what he has done or what has happened. A sense of self-preservation is included, which often makes a person leave the dangerous territory as quickly as possible, incl. escape from the scene of an accident.

Second reaction. Apathy

The variant of behavior in the second reaction is directly opposite to the behavior in the first reaction. The reaction is manifested by a sharp motor inhibition of a person; he is in the same position. There is no reaction to others. The person does not answer questions; when he starts talking, it is very slow and quiet. Breathing becomes rare and superficial (shallow), feelings of thirst and hunger are dulled. Inside a person there is a moral devastation.

It is impossible to cope with such reactions on your own, therefore qualified medical assistance is needed.

If a participant in an accident has one of these reactions, you should know a few simple rules that can ensure the safety of the victim and others:

• if possible, give the victim a sedative;
• be sure to call an ambulance at the scene of an accident;
• it is necessary, as far as possible, to distract the victim from concentrating on his own feelings with questions on extraneous topics, for example, questions about his tastes, hobbies, etc .;
• with extremely sharp behavior of the victim and inadequate actions on his part, you can fix him with the help of improvised means;
• after fixing the victim, it is necessary to monitor his heart rate and breathing;
• it is necessary to take away from a person all objects with which he can harm himself or others, or restrict a person's access to such objects;
• try to keep the victim in sight at all times.

Of course, the onset of the reactions described above is not at all necessary. Most people cope with the resulting mental trauma, and here we need to talk about how to behave after an accident.

Despite the fact that the body did not respond extremely to the resulting psychic trauma in the form of defensive reactions described above, the stressful situation still has an impact.

We hope that these simple rules will help you in a difficult situation.

1. Provide first aid to the injured, if necessary, take the injured to the nearest medical facility (if transportation is possible).
2. Call the emergency services (Ministry of Emergency Situations) and "Ambulance" to the scene of an accident if the consequences of an accident are serious.
3. Call the traffic police or emergency commissioners to draw up a protocol and diagram of an accident.
4. Never be indifferent to what is happening, do not trust other people, even if these people are traffic police officers.
5. Take an active part in all activities at the scene of the accident. If possible, make a photo-video fixation of the place of the accident, the consequences of the accident, the nature of the damage.
6. Carefully read the report on the traffic accident, make sure that important details are indicated there: time of day, lighting (if the accident occurred at night), stopping distance, type of brake track, condition of the roadway at the scene of the accident, weather conditions, visibility at the site of the accident.
7. Never sign blank sheets.
8. Do not go into conflict with an aggressive driver, do not argue with him. When such a driver tries to move objects related to an accident or move a vehicle (even under a plausible pretext), conduct video recording, draw the attention of passers-by. Be prepared for the fact that such a driver will make a presentation during the preparation of the protocol, where he will distort the facts. Remain calm and remember that lies always come to the surface. Only specially trained people can competently lie and not be convicted of a lie.

As for the internal state, then watch your breathing and heart rate (HR). Try to take your mind off the accident. Try to talk to passengers or contact relatives, friends by phone and talk to them about abstract topics. Try to focus your brain on something, such as thinking about what to do next after writing a protocol. Find something good in the current situation, such as the absence of casualties or injuries. Rest assured that everything will be fine. It must be remembered that stress must be overcome and its effect on the body minimized, and in no case should you panic. Be careful and remember the culture on the roads. Uncultured drivers are safer to yield than to try to prove something, much less teach something.

Three heroes from Vladivostok talk about how they got into an accident and survived

Text: Maria Volodina
Photo: from the archive of heroes

On October 17, 2016, three young athletes left Vladivostok in a rented car towards the Krasnoarmeisky district. At the Arseniev-Khabarovsk junction at 05:30 in the morning, the driver lost control and the car flew into a ditch. She made three lateral rolls and crashed into a tree. "Vl3000" asked the participants in the accident to talk about their experience, and the rescuer and psychologist - to comment on it.

On the night of October 17, the driver of a Toyota Voxy minibus was traveling with three passengers to the north of Primorsky Krai. It was necessary to arrive at the destination by noon (the guys were expected with an educational program), so we left Vladivostok at 03:00 at night.

Aleksey * was sitting in the passenger seat next to the driver, Konstantin was lying behind, Maxim was in the second row of the rear seats. At 05:30 in the morning, the driver was distracted by the navigator, lost his vigilance and lost control.

Leaning back the seat, Alex was dozing, but woke up when he heard the alarmed voice of the driver. At speed, the car turned around and swept sideways into a ditch, the car managed to make three full turns until it crashed into a tree.

Alexei:“The car was carried along the gravel road and turned sideways, there was no more than three seconds to think. I grabbed the railing with both hands, tucked my head in, tensed my whole body in anticipation of a blow. The first blow thundered when the car flew into a ditch filled with water. The car rolled over on its side and started spinning. Deafening blows rained down from all sides, broken glass, dirt and water flew around the cabin.

The seat belt allowed me to keep my body tucked up, not fly out of the window, and stay without serious injury. How did I figure out how to group? So I prepared for the strike. I think the experience and the reaction developed during sports helped me.”

After the first blows, several glasses were knocked out, and at one of the revolutions, Konstantin flew out the window.

Konstantin:“I remember absolutely everything, from beginning to end. So clear, like it was today. Before departure, I felt a sharp approach to the turn, pressure to the side, a hard blow. The car began to turn, and literally on the second turn I was thrown out of the side window. After flying about six meters, I landed in the bushes. At the moment of the flight itself, there was nothing that is usually shown in films. Thoughts were calm and clear, and time lasted more slowly than it might seem from the outside - a blow to the ground ... and silence.

After the first blow, there was not a single thought to group or grab onto something. On the contrary, I relaxed and let go of everything that was happening at that moment. I felt glass and things turn over and smash against me. The instinct of self-preservation worked so that the body was completely relaxed - apparently, that's why I escaped with minor injuries.

Another passenger lay unfastened in the back seat, he immediately received several blows to the head.

Maksim:“I didn’t see what was happening, but almost immediately I realized when we drove onto the gravel that now we were kicked. I'm not used to spinning over my head, but this is a little different. My first thoughts were: “Damn, this can't be happening, I'm probably still dreaming. I have to go to the Krasnoarmeisky district, how stupid it would be to die like that.

I can’t remember how my body behaved in general, but then the muscles of the press, back, shoulders and hips ached for a long time. Perhaps in a stressful situation they were in an overstressed state. After the stop, I understood that I had to get out, but I couldn’t remember where we were going and why, who was nearby and why I wasn’t at home at all.

After the car hit a tree, Alexey came to his senses, held a roll call: “Max, Sergey, Kostya, everyone is alive, there are fractures, can you move?” When he was convinced that everyone was safe, he called his colleague in Vladivostok and asked to pick them up from Spassk.

When the guys responded in turn, I was already getting out of the car and wildly glad that everyone was safe. Light bruises of soft tissues, scratches on the face, abrasions - this is a miracle! This day is called the second birthday. For the first time in my life, I was so close to a ridiculous death. These three rotations, like slow motion, imprinted in my head.

Aleksey and the driver began to pull out all the things from the overturned car. The vehicle behind them stopped and illuminated the scene with its headlights.

Konstantin:“When I landed and it became quiet, one of the guys asked: “Is everyone alive?”. I immediately got up. At first there was a small veil in my eyes, but after a few seconds everything dispersed, and I realized: we crashed! I stood barefoot, there was a slight pain in my side, and my head was covered in mud. I was very worried that no one was hurt. Fortunately, everything worked out.

To be honest, leaving the city at three in the morning, I told myself that in the morning I would write and wish good morning to a charming girl. So that she might smile and start her day with that smile. And so, after hitting, twisting, flying and falling, I got up, making sure that everyone was alive, found my phone in the bushes and sent her a message. The thought never left my mind even then. After that, we began to search and collect all our things that were scattered on the ground.

Over time, I am more and more surprised that after all that has happened, of injuries, we have only small cuts, scratches and bruises, and no concussion. ”

Cars passing by stopped several times nearby, the drivers asked if everything was in order and if help was needed. One of them called the police and reported the accident.

Maksim:“When I got out of the car, I started shaking a lot, the guys immediately gave me three jackets. We partially fell into the swamp, we were all wet, but I was shaking, it seems, not at all because of the cold. The understanding came that any of us could remain crippled or die. And although I remembered where we were going, I could not recover for another half an hour.

My head was a complete mess: I have so many plans for this week, now I have to reschedule everything, but among them there are several significant things. I also had to say something important, but I could die and that's it ... Lord, but I have a wife with a child at home, how would she raise him without me? And the feeling of endless fatigue - why is everything so complicated, is it really impossible for happiness to live easier, without such complex schemes?

Alexey called his acquaintances in Spassk-Dalniy, they called a tow truck. Soon after the accident, a traffic police brigade arrived. Maxim limped a little, but they did not call an ambulance. At about 9 am, the guys were already on their way to the hospital. By that time, the adrenaline had subsided, Maxim felt severe pain in his back and feared for his internal organs. All the bones were intact, the tests were normal - he got off with a concussion, bruises and sprains.

Alexei:“I imagined what would happen if I died. How upset my mother, father and brother would be, how I would let the guys and girls who train with me. But what about those areas where we are just going to go? I recalled the most valuable moments of my life: whom I helped, whom I influenced, where I spent the time allotted to me, and once again I was clearly convinced that material things mean nothing when it comes to life and death. I smiled, rejoicing at the salvation, then sad, remembering loved ones. I took a photo in which I smile, this is how I like myself more.

What the lifeguards say

Any accident is a severe physical and psychological test. It is important to behave correctly in an emergency and be able to recover from the incident.

Sergey Udovik, rescuer of the Vladivostok City Search and Rescue Service (MKU "VGPSS"):“The first step is to turn off the car if it is running and call an ambulance. Ambulance staff will report the accident to rescuers, firefighters and police. Next - to check whether the passengers are conscious, to understand who has injuries. The most important thing is to listen to the breath and stop the bleeding. You need to listen to the pulse, but it is not as effective as breathing - you can take your own heartbeat for someone else's.

If a person is pinched by something, in no case should you get him out, so you can only do more harm. The same applies to fixing broken parts of the body: you can only help if you know how. Remember that for all wrong actions you can be held responsible.

Check if the car is on fire (recently, VL.ru wrote about fire prevention). If nothing threatens, then it is better not to pull the person out and first bring him to consciousness, and if the car starts to smoke and burn, then the main thing here is to have time to pull everyone out. If possible, you need to remove the terminals from the battery and put the car on the handbrake or put something under the wheels so that it does not go.

Albina Yakovenko, clinical psychologist:“After an accident, give yourself time to recover: do not drive, move in the transport in which you feel safe, walk.

When you learned to drive a car, the first thing you did was sit in the driver's seat and get used to the dimensions, feel the car. Do the same. Sit in a chair, relax, close your eyes and remember the most pleasant moments in your life - the first date, receiving the desired gift, the day when you first went on the road and realized that the car was listening to you. Try to re-experience your feelings. Start the engine only when you feel that there is no panic. This may take several days.

First, do not rush to leave far from home. Feel the car, try to negotiate with it, press the brake pedal, turn left, right. You must see and understand that the car is not your enemy, it obeys you.

Once you feel comfortable, you can drive onto a busy road. Monitor your condition and feelings. When fear and malaise appear, do not panic, turn to the side of the road, calm down. If everything passed - go on about your business, if not - return to the parking lot.

Perform each stage without haste and violence against yourself. If you have not been able to cope within two to three weeks, then contact a psychologist. He will select a program and exercises that help you, most importantly - do not leave everything as it is. The longer you do not seek help, the more difficult it will be to get out of the state of traumatization.

Get back behind the wheel as soon as possible and replay the accident in your head like on a tape.

Road transport accounts for the lion's share of accidents - up to 80%, according to world statistics. Among drivers, it is customary to discuss the complexity of repairs, damages and legal aspects (who is to blame, how to behave in court). And at the same time they forget about psychological trauma. But in vain. After all, even a minor accident can significantly affect the driver - after that, many are terribly afraid not only to get behind the wheel, but even to drive as a passenger. In addition, such trauma can lead to problems in family life and work.

"Segodnya" with the help of specialists from the "Korda Profi" counter-emergency training center and the "Imago" center for practical psychology, found out how to survive stress with minimal losses.

SYNDROME FRONTIER

In the literature on psychiatry, the phrase "Afghan syndrome" is often used (for the first time it began to appear after a survey of veterans of the war in Afghanistan). It means a constant feeling of threat to life, fear of death, pain, excessive suspicion, obsessions. The medical name is post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Despite the fact that the drivers involved in road accidents, in the vast majority of cases, have never been to war, very often they experience the syndromes characteristic of war. “A year has passed since the accident, and when I get behind the wheel, I feel the danger with my back and the back of my head, even when the road is empty. I just feel that I’m about to get into an accident again,” driver Aleksey M. from Kyiv shares his problem .

This kind of disorder, if you do not seek help from a psychologist, can lead to serious problems. So, psychotherapist Tatyana Nazarenko spoke about a patient who had gone so far as to be afraid to get into transport in general. At the same time, he became irritable and aggressive, which led to problems in the family. Another patient became overly superstitious and spoiled relationships with loved ones - it seemed to him that he was jinxed by envious people.

“Often, they try to treat stress with vodka or pills. Literally in a year of such “therapy”, dependence and health problems will be added to PTRS,” the expert says.

Firstly, in no case should you reproach yourself for an accident for a long time - you acted according to the knowledge and skills that you had at that time. Secondly, you need to realize that fear is a natural reaction of the body, caused by the instinct of self-preservation. And if a person has already been in an accident, when the threat to his life and / or health (including mental) was palpable, then the body seems to be trying to prevent its repetition. And the driver is faced with the task of persuading himself that in the event of a repeat of the emergency, you can get out of it. To do this, you need to scroll through it several times in your head (looking at the situation from the side as if watching a video), and then discuss it with an experienced driver or an instructor from one of the driver training centers. This will allow you to understand what driving skills were not enough, to study them in a closed area (where there is nothing to be afraid of) and work out to automatism - so that when a danger occurs, a conditioned reflex will work.

SHIELD FROM CRITICISM

Rookie drivers (especially women) who got into an accident very often, without realizing it, instill complexes - they say offensive words or demotivate with phrases like "I told you", "it's too early for you", "not yours" and the like (in including using profanity). This kind of information processing, albeit with the best of intentions, can plunge a person into depression. In addition, it is dangerous if the driver still dares to drive, the spoken phrases can set you up for a new accident. Therefore, it is better to immediately agree with relatives and friends not to discuss this topic. And if one of your loved ones has been in an accident, give him maximum psychological support. Indeed, according to the experts we interviewed, the sooner a person starts driving again after an accident, the easier it is for him to get rid of the fear of having an accident again.

HOW TO BECOME AFTER A Crash: 5 Tips

1. Relax. Even if the accident is minor (small scratches), it is better not to plan trips on this day, but to take a break. Even with a minor accident, a person releases adrenaline and you need to give the body time to return to normal.

2. Mood. Whatever is done is for the better. Perhaps the guardian angel allowed you to get into a small accident so that you would not get into a major accident on the same day. In addition, experience is always comprehended by trial and error.

3. View from the side. Analyze the accident, but imagine that you are not driving, but someone else.

Road transport accounts for the lion's share of accidents - up to 80%, according to world statistics. Among drivers, it is customary to discuss the complexity of repairs, damages and legal aspects (who is to blame, how to behave in court) of an accident. And at the same time they forget about psychological trauma. But in vain. After all, even a minor accident can significantly affect the driver - after an accident, many people are terribly afraid not only to get behind the wheel, but even to drive as a passenger. In addition, such trauma can lead to problems in family life and work.

"Today", with the help of specialists from the "Korda Profi" counter-emergency training center and the "Imago" center for practical psychology, found out how to survive stress with minimal losses.

SYNDROME FRONTIER

In the literature on psychiatry, the phrase "Afghan syndrome" is often used (for the first time it began to appear after a survey of veterans of the war in Afghanistan). It means a constant feeling of threat to life, fear of death, pain, excessive suspicion, obsessions. The medical name is post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Despite the fact that the drivers involved in road accidents, in the vast majority of cases, have never been to war, very often they experience the syndromes characteristic of war. “A year has passed since the accident, and when I get behind the wheel, I feel the danger with my back and the back of my head, even when the road is empty. I really feel that I’m about to get into an accident again, ”driver Alexei M. from Kyiv shares his problem.

This kind of disorder, if you do not seek help from a psychologist, can lead to serious problems. So, psychotherapist Tatyana Nazarenko spoke about a patient who had gone so far as to be afraid to get into transport in general. At the same time, he became irritable and aggressive, which led to problems in the family. Another patient became overly superstitious and ruined relationships with loved ones - it seemed to him that he was jinxed by envious people.

“Often they try to treat stress with vodka or pills. Literally in a year of such “therapy”, addiction and health problems will add to PTSD,” the expert says.

Firstly, in no case should you reproach yourself for an accident for a long time - you acted according to the knowledge and skills that you had at that time. Secondly, you need to realize that fear is a natural reaction of the body, caused by the instinct of self-preservation. And if a person has already been in an accident, when the threat to his life and / or health (including mental) was palpable, then the body seems to be trying to prevent its repetition. And the driver is faced with the task of persuading himself that in the event of a repeat of the emergency, you can get out of it. To do this, you need to scroll through it several times in your head (looking at the situation from the side as if watching a video), and then discuss it with an experienced driver or an instructor from one of the driver training centers. This will allow you to understand what car driving skills were not enough, study them in a closed area (where there is nothing to be afraid of) and work out to automatism - so that when a danger occurs, a conditioned reflex will work.

SHIELD FROM CRITICISM

Those who are in an accident, novice drivers (especially women), are very often close, without realizing it, instill complexes - they say offensive words or demotivate with phrases like “I told you”, “it’s too early for you”, “not yours” and the like (in including using profanity). This kind of information processing, albeit with the best of intentions, can plunge a person into depression. In addition, it is dangerous if the driver still dares to drive, the spoken phrases can set you up for a new accident. Therefore, it is better to immediately agree with relatives and friends not to discuss this topic. And if one of your loved ones has been in an accident, give him maximum psychological support. Indeed, according to the experts we interviewed, the sooner a person starts driving again after an accident, the easier it is for him to get rid of the fear of having an accident again.

HOW TO BECOME AFTER A Crash: 5 Tips

1. Relax. Even if the accident is minor (small scratches), it is better not to plan trips on this day, but to take a break. Even with a minor accident, a person releases adrenaline and you need to give the body time to return to normal.

2. Mood. Whatever is done is for the better. Perhaps the guardian angel allowed you to get into a small accident so that you would not get into a major accident on the same day. In addition, experience is always comprehended by trial and error.

3. View from the side. Analyze the accident, but imagine that you are not driving, but someone else.

4. Help from specialists. If the stress does not go away on its own, only a psychologist will help. And additional knowledge and correct driving skills can be fixed only with the help of a professional instructor. An adviser-neighbor can only aggravate the situation.

5. Timing. A few days after the accident, it is advisable to get behind the wheel again. Let it even be an auto instructor. Otherwise, skills will quickly be lost, which will exacerbate fear.