Discusses the hazard of winning a lawsuit on an accident victim's
recovery. Heightening of a victim's awareness of physical sensation;
Findings of earlier studies on the relationship of compensation an a
speedy recovery; Common occurrence of delayed-onset symptoms; Temporary
amnesia; Memory test results of patients with mild brain injuries who are
seeking compensation.
By
PT Staff, published on May 01, 1996
HEAD TRAUMA
If you've suffered a head injury and you're thinking about suing,
beware. Winning a lawsuit may be hazardous to your recovery.
"It looks as though once people are awarded compensation, their
symptoms get worse rather than remit." reports University of Nebraska
psychologist Martin Rohling, Ph.D. He estimates that eliminating,
financial compensation--from lawsuits or worker's comp--would reduce
physical symptoms from head injuries by 23 percent.
It's not that people complaining of such injuries are exaggerating
or faking their condition for the benefit of their bank account, Rohling
and psychologist Laurence Binder, Ph.D., emphasize. Rather, the lure of
lucre heightens our awareness of physical sensation. We're on the lookout
for every ache and twinge--and so we find them.
Summing up evidence from 17 earlier studies, Rohling and Binder
offer numerous examples of how compensation and a speedy recovery are
often at odds:
o In patients seeking remuneration, delayed-onset symptoms--those
that appear some time after the injury--are more common than in folks not
seeking damages.
o Head injuries often result in temporary amnesia; the worse the
injury, the longer the amnesia. But compensation seekers, on average,
suffer from shorter periods of amnesia, suggesting their problems have a
psychological component.
o Patients with mild brain injuries who are seeking compensation
often do worse on memory tests than severely-injured patients not looking
for reparation.
None of this means we should dismantle our current compensation
system or prevent injured parties from receiving financial assistance,
Rohling says. But if seeking damages interferes with some patients'
recovery, he adds, physicians might face a dilemma when mildly injured
patients want to sue: "Should we assist them in that--or dissuade them?"
In at least some cases, it seems, the latter might best help the healing
process.
PHOTO (COLOR)
Tags:
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compensation,
head injuries,
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head trauma,
lawsuit,
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memory tests,
physical sensation,
psychological component,
recovery,
speedy recovery,
twinge,
university of nebraska
