Researchers have only relatively recently begun to study the psychological consequences of road accidents, and act on the recognition that considerable psychological disorder can be associated with them. This chapter focuses on the case study of `Jane', who experienced a car crash in Australia when 39 years old. Her symptoms were typical of those of road accident survivors. She had post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and chronic pain from whiplash injury of the neck. Various treatments failed to produce significant improvements. Almost four years after her accident, she had her first consultation with the author, who is a clinical psychologist. The author adopted a cognitive behavioural approach to her therapy, concentrating on three inter-related areas: managing her pain, handling her fears, and managing her grief over her lost youthfulness and vitality. Her pain management steadily improved, accompanied by better relaxation and less use of analgesics. By recording her fears in a self-monitoring diary, she could identify and order them, become less sensitive to them, and monitor her progress. Her ability to manage her feelings of loss and grief improved steadily during her therapy. Near its end, she decided to accept a limited one-off compensation payment, rather than continue legal proceedings.
Samenvatting