Trauma can have a devastating impact on your life. PTSD can manifest due to any traumatic event, including stressful events in the workplace. Emergency responders and healthcare workers work in high-stress situations and may witness accidents, deaths or assaults. Additionally, workers who suffer injuries while on the job or witness someone else’s injury or death could have PTSD that develops because of an event that occurred while performing a job-related duty.
According to the EEOC, PTSD can be substantially limiting.
What are the symptoms of PTSD?
If you have PTSD, it is likely that you have intrusive or disturbing thoughts that you cannot keep from thinking about. Sometimes, the thought is connected to your memory of the traumatic event. If your PTSD develops due to a stressful period of your life, the thoughts may refer to multiple events. Sometimes, you will have flashbacks or nightmares.
PTSD makes you want to avoid anything that might remind you of the traumatic event. If the event occurred at work, you may be unable to force yourself to go to work. You might avoid activities, people and anything that reminds you of the event or time of your life. PTSD comes with depression and anxiety. You could feel hopeless or quick to anger.
How does PTSD affect your ability to work?
PTSD triggers your fight-or-flight response. Most people cannot function at work in the middle of a panic. You might find it difficult to concentrate or to focus on anything while at work. Additionally, you may experience panic attacks that make it difficult to stay in the building or accomplish any work-related tasks.
When PTSD severely affects your ability to function in your day-to-day life, you may need to treat it similarly to a physical disability.