You might experience depression, anxiety, or both if you have been hurt at work and are now unable to work, are in pain, or both. It makes sense because many people’s identities are linked to their jobs and because mental and physical health is interdependent. If there is a connection between a mental health issue and the injury, it may be included in a work comp claim. How your claim is categorized can significantly change depending on your mental health and requires you to get help from Workers’ Compensation lawyers.
Why do Work Comp Claims Need to Consider Mental Health?
Your personal life, family, and job can all be significantly impacted by a severe issue with your mental health. Following a catastrophic injury, as well as a minor one, if it prevents you from doing your job duties, depressive and anxious symptoms may appear. You must understand that a claim for a planned injury, such as a knee injury, might become a claim for industrial disability if mental health difficulties are present.
Whether you have previously received treatment for depression or anxiety may concern you. No, is the response. Pre-existing mental health issues do not always crucial from a legal standpoint. If the work injury aggravates a mental health claim, it is included in the injury. Your condition becomes work-related, and is eligible for workers’ compensation benefits if you need to take more antidepressants or anxiety drugs because of your heightened depression or anxiety due to the injury.
Keep a Mental Health Record.
What, then, should you do to treat your anxiety and depression symptoms? The solution is straightforward: List them, inform your healthcare practitioners of them, and seek therapy. Too many individuals ignore mental health problems, but they can rule your life if you do not treat them.
For instance, insomnia might irritate you and lead to conflicts with friends and family. Your social relationships and general health may be impacted by a racing heart brought on by anxiety. Your life may suffer as a result of feeling hopeless and useless due to depression. It is possible that you are too exhausted to take care of your personal hygiene or your health, which could delay the healing of your injuries.
Documenting your mental illness symptoms in the same manner that you would a physical injury is crucial. Everyone engaged in your workers’ compensation claim, including your employer, the insurance provider, and your nurse case manager, should be informed of them. Write them down.
