Labor and delivery can be traumatic, especially when things don’t go as planned. Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) after a birth injury is common and can leave both mothers and babies with long-term psychological and emotional consequences.
Here’s what you should know about birth injury PTSD, how to treat it, and what our law firm can do to help your family move forward after a devastating birth experience.
Understanding the Basics of PTSD
Post-traumatic stress disorder, or PTSD, is a psychological condition that often stems from someone experiencing or witnessing a serious traumatic event. In the past, PTSD was typically only associated with combat veterans and was described as “shell shock” and “combat fatigue.” However, science has since learned that PTSD can affect any person at any age who goes through a devastating situation.
According to the American Psychiatric Association (APA), about 3.5% of American adults are affected by post-traumatic stress disorder annually. In teens between the ages of 13 to 18, the rate is more than twice as high. Research estimates that roughly one in every 11 U.S. citizens will receive a diagnosis of PTSD at some point during their life.
The most common symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder include things like:
- Intense, vivid memories of past stressful events
- Nightmares that may or may not be related to the event
- Feeling detached from your body or people around you
- Being preoccupied with sadness, fear, or anger
- Being irritable or experiencing rapid mood shifts
- Avoiding people or places involved in the event
- Overreacting to minor stressors like a loud noise
Signs of PTSD After a Birth Injury
The APA also reports that women are more likely than men to develop PTSD, as well as Black, Latinx, and Indigenous Americans. Not coincidentally, these are the same demographics that experience the highest rates of birth injury and medical malpractice.
Undergoing a traumatic birth during what should be one of the happiest and most joyous celebrations of your life can be incredibly difficult to say the least. When you are neglected, injured, and overall treated poorly by the very medical staff you entrust to help you, it’s not uncommon to start experiencing symptoms of PTSD.
One major indicator that a mother is suffering with post-traumatic stress disorder after birth is the existence of postpartum depression. A mother with PTSD may have difficulty bonding with their baby and can experience feelings of anger or hatred towards the child for having “caused” her injuries. This is a common but overlooked situation that many mothers find themselves in after giving birth with little to no external support.
Signs you may be struggling with post-traumatic stress after a difficult labor and delivery include:
- Frequent crying, often without understanding the reason why
- Experiencing difficulty concentrating on work or daily tasks
- Trouble falling or staying asleep at night
- Feeling on edge or like there’s danger nearby
- Distancing yourself from family members and friends
- Feeling an intense need to avoid certain places, people, or things
- Losing interest in activities you once enjoyed
Exploring Treatments for PTSD
Treatments for PTSD typically include things like Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) Therapy, exposure therapy, counseling, medication, and nerve blocks. Typically, the first line of treatment is trauma-oriented psychotherapy and consideration of a low-dose selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) or beta blockers that can help reduce the absorption of adrenaline and stress hormones.
Recently, studies have shown that treatment with psychedelics like ketamine can block pain receptors, create healthy new connections between neurons, and calm down the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis that is responsible for fight or flight reactions.
Another new treatment involves using an anesthetic to block the stellate ganglion, which is a star-shaped bundle of nerves in the neck that sends stress signals to your brain and upper body. Numbing this nerve can help lower the body’s production of norepinephrine levels and control heart rate, blood pressure, and sweating.
When to Contact a Lawyer
It’s a common misconception that only physical injuries are compensable after medical malpractice. However, psychological injuries can be just as devastating and are taken just as seriously under the law. If you or a loved one have recently given birth and believe you may be suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder, it’s crucial to reach out for legal guidance as soon as possible.
Contact us now by calling (440) 333-3800 to schedule an appointment to meet with our Cleveland, Ohio birth injury attorneys to discuss your case. We’re standing by to help you take the next step to get justice for your family.
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