Philadelphia PTSD Disability Lawyer for Healthcare Workers and Other Professionals

Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, more commonly known as PTSD, affects many people each year. Understanding, diagnosing, and treating this disorder can be challenging due to the complex nature of the disorder. When the symptoms of PTSD make it impossible to work, it is important to apply for disability insurance benefits while attending to your psychiatric stability and recovery. Each Philadelphia PTSD disability lawyer at Seltzer & Associates are experienced at handling complicated disability insurance benefits claims and fight diligently to obtain your benefits.

Not all individuals respond to trauma in the same way, casting doubt as to the severity of the suffering experienced. Since the disorder and its complications are not always obvious, it is critical that you talk to a PTSD disability lawyer about your claim. Seltzer & Associates has nationwide experience and is available to discuss your medical condition with you.

Causes of PTSD

PTSD can occur after someone experiences a traumatic or stressful event. Examples of events that may induce PTSD are: 

• Having suffered abuse in the past,
• Being the victim of assault, 
• Being involved in a serious accident, 
• Suffering from severe health issues that require intense treatment, and
• Being exposed to trauma in the workplace.

Healthcare providers are likely to experience workplace trauma that could result in PTSD. Not only do medical professionals subject themselves to a high-stress vocation, but trauma from difficult patient losses contributes to the buildup of PTSD factors. Some PTSD sufferers may never be able to return to their medical careers if the PTSD is related to the workplace.It is also believed that some people are more susceptible to PTSD, especially if they have experienced a prior trauma. Those suffering from anxiety or depression seem to have a higher risk of suffering from PTSD after a traumatic event. While it is still unclear what prompts the development of PTSD and associated symptoms and conditions, PTSD can strike at any time after the instigating event or due to a trigger. With such uncertainty, it becomes even more important to work with a Philadelphia disability insurance attorney should you need to file for disability insurance benefits because of PTSD.

Understanding the Characteristics of PTSD

To diagnose PTSD, multiple symptoms must be experienced within a short time. These include re-experiencing symptoms such as flashbacks including physical symptoms; avoidance symptoms; arousal and reactivity symptoms which can impact the ability to carry out daily activities and work duties; and symptoms affecting cognition and mood. When the combination of these symptoms is present for at least a month, the sufferer may be diagnosed with PTSD. 

Symptoms of PTSD that prevent medical professionals from working include:

• Lack of focus or concentration
• Physical impairments, including severe pain, headaches, or dizziness
• Irritability and outbursts of anger
• Difficulty sleeping
• Development of substance abuse 

It is critical for physicians to get proper medical treatment for the symptoms of PTSD to regain control and order in their everyday lives. Additionally, seeking appropriate care for your condition is an essential component of your long-term disability insurance claim. A Philadelphia long term disability lawyer can help you incorporate your treatment records into your disability insurance claim and guide you toward a successful outcome.

A Philadelphia PTSD Disability Lawyer Understands the Impact of the Disorder on Your Profession

With such a variety of causes and symptoms, PTSD presents in a multitude of ways. Medical professionals are not immune to experiencing PTSD. Emergency room professionals can experience PTSD after particularly traumatic cases and years of constant chaos and emergent cases. PTSD can also be triggered after experiencing the death of others, and repressed traumas can resurface years later. Doctors and surgeons are not able to attend to patients or oversee their practices if they are having PTSD episodes. He or she may also avoid their medical facilities due to traumatic triggers. 

Sometimes medical professionals need to be encouraged to pursue the right course of action for themselves, including treatment for their own medical conditions, seeking help for mental health and applying for disability insurance benefits when their condition is severe enough to prevent them from continuing to work. 

Seltzer & Associates understands the stigma concerning many who suffer from a psychiatric or psychological condition. Particularly with PTSD, the sufferer may not exhibit symptoms or experience disabling complications until some time after experiencing the traumatic event. Whether your PTSD is relatively new or has been causing ongoing problems which prevent you from practicing medicine, an experienced Philadelphia disability insurance attorney can help you pursue disability insurance benefits.

Physicians Deserve Disability Insurance Benefits for PTSD

Disability insurance benefits provide financial security as a source of income while the insured is unable to work due to disability. The disability insurance claim process can be complex as there are various requirements for approval. One of the difficulties in prevailing in a PTSD disability insurance case is that PTSD does not manifest on a set schedule. Just because your trauma is not in the immediate past does not mean you will not suffer from severe PTSD and be eligible for disability insurance benefits. Traumas and the resulting debilitating symptoms are very real and may entitle you to disability insurance benefits. Working with an experienced Philadelphia disability insurance attorney can benefit you as we know how to address the challenges posed by insurance companies to dispute your approval for disability insurance benefits.

COVID-19 and PTSD in Medical Professionals

With coronavirus as an ever-present threat, our medical professionals are experiencing an entirely new level of trauma in the medical field. Relentlessly, and non stop for months, our medical professionals have faced the threat of this deadly disease with insufficient information to combat the spread of the illness, scarce personal protective equipment (PPE), and inadequate medical supplies to treat the most severe cases of COVID-19. 

In more recent months, our medical professionals have also had to deal with being separated from their families for fear of contamination and spreading coronavirus, frequent testing for the disease, and ever-changing medical environment. Our medical professionals watched COVID-19 patients suffer for weeks on end in hospitals, treated their patients’ concerns and fears in the midst of uncertainty, and ministered to the dying, while providing what little comfort one can while limiting contact for health and safety. It’s understandable that these stresses caused emotional drain and mood disorders such as PTSD. 

Treatment of PTSD Requires More Than One Approach

Since PTSD is multifaceted, treatments vary. Examples include medication to regulate cognition and mood symptoms or to relieve symptoms such as inability to sleep. Individual psychotherapy or group therapy to provide support to the patient and work through trauma recovery is beneficial but can take months or years to complete. Thus, employment and day-to-day life may be impacted for a significant period of time, or even a lifetime. As such, securing your disability insurance benefits can be essential and will be best achieved with the help of a Philadelphia PTSD disability attorney. 

Contact a Philadelphia PTSD Disability Lawyer Today and Get the Help You Need

PTSD steals so much from its victims, your financial health should not suffer as well. Medical professionals experiencing PTSD need to contact a PTSD lawyer at Seltzer & Associates to discuss securing your disability insurance benefits.