Can You Sue for Mental Anguish?

If you’ve ever been through a workplace accident, you know just how hard that can be on your body. Not only do you have to deal with the pain and discomfort of the injury you just suffered, but you may also have to put up with being in a hospital for an extended period of time. And then, even when you get home, you might have to put a lot of stress on your body to ensure that your physical recovery happens in the correct fashion.

All this, and we haven’t even begun to discuss the effects of mental anguish from your accident. The fact of the matter is, your mental state is just as important as your physical state. Many workplace accidents can have significant negative impacts on a person’s mental state, but this isn’t something that is often discussed.

In this article, we’ll discuss whether or not you can sue for mental anguish damages. After all, if physical effects reduce your quality of life and are eligible for damages, why shouldn’t mental effects also be eligible?

Severity of Mental Anguish

One of the things to consider as you think through whether or not you should sue for mental anguish is that the mental effects have to be severe enough for you to be eligible for damages. That means that the mental effects have to go deeper than just disappointment or anger.

Eligible conditions include those such as depression, heightened stress, or an anxiety complex that results from the accident. 

Visit a Psychologist

With any court dealings of this sort, it is important that you are not the one vouching for yourself. If you get up in front of the judge to say that you have experienced mental anguish without anyone or anything else to back that up, chances are that your lawsuit will be thrown right out of court.

The alternative is to visit a workers comp psychologist. This individual will help diagnose the mental effects that have happened as a result of the accident. The psychologist will also bill you for his time, which is a tangible form of damages that your employer will be responsible for should your lawsuit be successful.

In addition to that, it’s just a good idea in general to talk things through with a psychologist if you are experiencing mental effects. Remember how important your mental state is to your quality of life. You want to make sure that you do everything in your power that you can to keep the accident from having a significant, negative, long-term impact on you.

Recover From Your Accident

Now that you know whether or not you can sue for mental anguish damages, all that remains is for you to talk to a lawyer who will help you figure out whether or not you have a solid case. We wish you all the best with your recovery and your suit!

For more lifestyle advice, be sure to check out the rest of the articles on the website!