Car accidents can cause long-term stress that can eventually lead to depression. According to WebMD Health News, a car accident can cause depression. Like other types of traumatic or stressful events, car accidents can cause long-term stress that affects work and relationships. Eventually, this anxiety can lead to depression. Even a minor auto accident can cause depression, persistent anxiety, and even post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). A study by British researchers referenced by WebMD suggested that at least one-third of all people involved in nonfatal accidents have symptoms of psychiatric distress one year after the incident. This included many people who were not seriously injured and-or disabled in the accident. Depression is a mood disorder that involves the mind and body and affects the way a person feels, thinks and behaves. It can lead to a variety of emotional and physical problems, according to the Mayo Clinic. The Mayo Clinic identified the following as some of the more common signs of depression following a car accident:
- Constant feelings of sadness, unhappiness, and emptiness
- Loss of interest or pleasure in all, or almost all, activities, including ones that were once enjoyed
- Significant weight loss when not dieting, weight gain, or decrease or increase in appetite
- Trouble sleeping nearly every day.
- Agitation or restlessness.
- Fatigue, tiredness or loss of energy
- Feelings of worthlessness or excessive guilt
- Trouble making decisions, thinking or concentrating.
- Frequent suicidal thoughts or thinking about death