If you have sustained a work-related injury, you need to do everything you can to regain your health and live a good life.
The typical workers’ compensation case has four basic steps. You sustain damages at work, see a company doctor, speak with a St. Louis work injury lawyer, and negotiate until you have a fair settlement offer. In rare cases, injury victims see a mental health professional instead of or in addition to a conventional medical provider. Here is what you need to know about this process.
Why You Might Get One
There are two reasons why you might get a psychological assessment after a work injury or some other stressful event. The first is you requesting a meeting with a mental health expert due to emotional issues you are having. The second is your company recommending this strategy if they notice that you are not in proper mental shape. Either way, you could be at risk of a psychological injury, and your company doctor will likely recommend an outside professional.
Examples of Psychological Injuries
The following three psychological injuries affect workers the most.
- Depression – Feeling low in motivation, having sleep issues, being irritable, and generally feeling negative emotions are all indications that you could have depression. This issue is one of the most common in the mental health community, and an expert can do a lot to help you with it.
- Anxiety – Next, you have anxiety, which is characterized by feeling worried, uneasy, or restless. Doctors often recommend lifestyle adjustments or medication to treat this problem.
- PTSD – This issue is similar to anxiety, but it is usually centered around a single event. What might happen is you reliving the experience over and over again, having sleep issues, and suffering from anxiety.
How to Handle an Assessment
Whether you or your company requests the assessment, you should approach it with the following two recommendations in mind.
- Put Your Wellness First – Ignoring your mental health issues is never a smart idea, no matter how insecure you are about discussing them. Try to remember that your wellness comes first and be open with your doctor.
- Be Completely Honest – The flipside is that you don’t want to embellish your experiences because you think it might lead to more compensation. Doing so will likely backfire.
What Might Happen as a Result
There are two results that can come out of assessments. The first option is the mental health professional declaring that you do have a psychological injury. In this case, you’ll want to speak to your lawyer about getting support to manage those damages. The other outcome is that professional deciding that you do not, which you may want to talk to your attorney about as well.
As important as your St. Louis workers compensation lawyer will be after a work injury, one might argue that your medical providers are even more crucial. This idea is true in the case of both physical and psychological injuries. No matter what, you need to do everything you can to regain your health and live a good life. If you have been injured on the job, call us 24/7 for a FREE Case Evaluation with an experienced workers compensation attorney. Call (314) 361-4300.