Things You Must Know About Emotional Trauma Resulting from Dog Bites
Animal attacks and dog bites might cause permanent disabilities and scars in the victims. Usually, the physical sufferings resulting from such incidents are extremely serious. As a result, victims and their family members often end up ignoring the emotional impact of the events. However, the fact is that the mental trauma resulting from dog bites is often more serious than physical injuries.
One of the first things you must do as a dog bite victim is visiting an Atlanta personal injury law firm and hiring a skilled lawyer. The lawyer will be assisting you to get the compensation you’re owed from the dog bite injuries you sustained. When deciding on the amount of compensation you must claim, he would definitely consider the emotional injuries you have suffered due to the dog attack. That’s because the psychological issues resulting from such events may cause major non-economic and economic damages.
How Dog Bites Result in Permanent Scars?
Individuals, who get attacked and bitten by a violent dog, tend to get afraid whenever they come across the same dog breed. At times, these victims prefer staying away from all kinds of canines. You must have met people who say, “I don’t like dogs” without revealing the actual reason behind their aversion. For most of these people, the hatred results from a dog attack that they faced earlier in life.
This shows that many may fail to recover from the emotional trauma even after years of being bitten or attacked by a dog.
The emotional reactions can, however, vary from one dog bite victim to another. While some people take just a few days to trust canines again, others may get permanent scars. People belonging to the second category often find it uncomfortable to share the same room with a dog. You may also see them react weirdly when they hear a dog barking.
Therapy a Dog Bite Victim Must Undergo
An experienced lawyer will ensure that you get the compensation you deserve for all the physical and emotional pain you suffered. However, you shouldn’t ignore the problem. To get rid of the emotional trauma resulting from such events, you must undergo specialized therapy.
You might need to meet the therapist at regular intervals for one-on-one meetings. He will help you to deal with the trauma caused by the dog attack and effectively manage the PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder) symptoms. The therapist will use various methods to identify the actual factors leading to the trauma and thereby come up with the most effective stress remedies.
Once the initial phase of therapy is over, the therapist might introduce you to a friendly dog. You might find this step highly stressful. However, it’s possibly the most significant step of the therapy if you are looking to recover completely from the trauma.
Final Words
Dog bite victims should seek legal assistance and therapeutic care for managing the long-term impact of the event. Doing so will allow them to get duly compensated for all the sufferings caused by the dog bite and prevent lifelong trauma.
Author: Lee Sadawski