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Depression and Work Injuries in Nevada
If you have a work injury in Nevada you are more likely to become depressed. If you do need a study to prove that there is a higher incidence of depression among workers with orthopedic injuries, you will be interested in the linked article from California psychologist Stephen Pfeiffer, Ph.D., He cites a study reported in the Annals of General Psychiatry, Dr. Pfeiffer frequently writes about depression and other psychological conditions affecting California's injured workers.
Unlike Dr. Pfeiffer, I am not a doctor. I am a lawyer who represents injured workers. The following are my Top Ten non-medical reasons injured workers tell me why they feel depressed after their job accident:
- They're hurt and in pain. That alone makes them unhappy.
- A supervisor, or co-worker, or their adjuster acts as if they are faking their injury...
- They are worried about whether they will still have a job when they are well again..
- They are getting the run-around from whomever is supposed to be handling their claim.
- They know they aren't getting good medical care, but don't know what to do.
- Authorizations for medical care take forever.
- They are worried about how they will make a living if they can't go back to their line of work.
- They're financially behind on bills as a result of late compensation checks, no compensation checks, or inadequate compensation checks.
- They hear stories that they might get a settlement at the end of their claim, but have no idea what to expect, or whether to hope for anything.
- They are worried about needing medical care in the future if the injury ever worsens after the claim is close.
- They know they need information, but don't know who to trust for advice.
Depression is serious. If you are feeling completely overwhelmed or suicidal, please tell your doctor immediately, or call 911 and ask for the suicide prevention hotline. While it can be difficult to obtain psychological treatment for depression on a worker's compensation claim, it can be done under the right circumstances. More importantly, many feelings of helplessness go away once you are armed with knowledge about how the claims process actually works. If you feel too lousy to actually meet with a lawyer for a free consultation, at least help call for a free guide so that you have a better understanding of Nevada workers' compensation law.
Surviving the Tough Times
Some questions I receive from injured workers have nothing to do with workers’ compensation law, but are instead about how to make it through the difficult times following a work accident. Few people can pay all necessary bills for very long on workers’ comp benefits of only two-thirds of their average monthly wage. Most injured workers must dip into or deplete their savings if they have a serious work injury. Also, if medical insurance isn’t available any longer because the injured worker can’t return to his pre-accident employer, dependent family members then go without necessary medical care. It is even worse for the injured workers who must litigate denial of their claims in order to obtain any benefits at all after months of the appeals process. Yet, people do survive these tough times, and they find a new appreciation for those friends, co-workers, employers, and family members that can be counted on to provide support.
Recently, a client gave me a very interesting book entitled The Survivors Club by Ben Sherwood. This book is about survivors of various sorts of tragedies, including an airplane crash in the Andes, a failed suicide attempt from the Golden Gate Bridge, the brutal gang attack of the Central Park jogger, cancer, a mountain lion attack, etc. There isn’t a chapter on how to physically, emotionally, and financially survive a serious work injury, but I could match some of my clients’ experiences with those in the book. The book discusses common personality traits the survivors share. I see many of those traits in those clients who go on to lead happy, productive lives despite their life-changing work accident. What I really found useful for my clients, however, was its website. This website has excellent information on how to deal with a permanent injury, how to handle financial problems following a reduction in income, links to alcohol or substance abuse help, and divorce survival tactics.
Depression following a work injury is common. If it becomes severe, the injured worker should discuss it with whichever doctor is the authorized treating physician so that it is documented. Then, the injured worker can request that the adjuster authorize a consultation and treatment with a psychologist. While Nevada law does not allow an award for permanent psychological injuries that do not result from a physical injury to the brain, an injured worker may at least get treatment for psychological problems that result from the work injury.
If you need immediate help in the Southern Nevada area to deal with depression, please contact the So. Nevada Adult Mental Health Services at (702) 486-6000. You may also find other phone numbers and links for mental health services at www.mhds.state.nv.us. If you or someone you know is having suicidal thoughts, please call the suicide prevention hotline numbers at 1-800-273-8244 and 1.877-885-467.
I’ve asked several clients to help me post some good news about their accomplishments in vocational rehabilitation programs, and tips to help fellow injured workers get through the tough times. So, please stay tuned.
