Can Counseling Help the Emotional Trauma from a Dog Bite?

 Posted on October 23, 2024 in Dog Bite Injuries

Dog bites often result in lifelong injuries, including prominent disfigurement when the dog bite is in the facial area. Being attacked by a dog can be a traumatizing event. While most dogs are friendly, all dogs have the capacity to bite, especially when startled, frightened, or when the dog is defending his owner or property. The individual who is bitten can be left with lingering phobias, PTSD, and other emotional trauma long after the physical effects of a dog bite have begun to fade.

If you or a loved one has been injured in a dog attack, you need solid legal assistance. Although money cannot change what happened to you, it can help you get the medical and psychological help you need to move forward in your life. Speaking to a knowledgeable Naperville, IL dog bite attorney from Dog Bite Injury Lawyer - Mevorah Law Offices LLC can help ensure you receive a fair settlement for your dog bite injuries. Our experienced attorneys will explore all avenues for compensation for your physical and emotional trauma resulting from a dog bite.

What Are the Primary Types of Emotional Damage that Result from a Dog Bite?

While every dog bite incident and every dog bite victim is unique in some way, there are a few different types of emotional trauma that are often seen following a dog attack. These include:

• PTSD

• Cynophobia

• Agoraphobia

• Other types of mental trauma

Post-traumatic stress disorder occurs fairly often among those who experience a severely traumatizing event. A dog bite is usually unexpected, forcing the victim into a fight-or-flight mode. Once the immediate physical effects of a dog bite begin to subside, mental health concerns can begin taking over. Physical reactions when something reminds the victim of the dog bite, like trouble breathing, heart-pounding, and sweating, are common PTSD symptoms.

Others include avoiding activities or situations because they remind the victim of the dog bite, losing interest in previously enjoyed activities, feeling distant or cut off from others, being jumpy or easily startled, and having trouble falling or staying asleep. Cynophobia is a fear of dogs. Depending on the circumstances of the attack, a victim can have an overwhelming fear of all dogs or just the type of dog that attacked him or her.  

If anxiety resulting from the dog bite is severe enough, the victim may develop agoraphobia, which is fear of leaving one’s home. Agoraphobia victims have an intense need to maximize their safety through the control of their immediate environment. Since the home is the easiest place to control, many dog bite victims end up leaving their homes less and less often. Some even quit their jobs and stop seeing friends and family members.

How Can Counseling Help?

Children who suffer a severe attack from a dog or dogs are at serious risk of emotional trauma. On the other hand, adults often have many years of pleasant, uneventful dog interactions in their past, which can balance the trauma. Counseling can definitely help children and adults who are dealing with trauma following a dog bite. Find a counselor who is experienced in treating those who are dealing with trauma and PTSD as well as resulting phobias. While it will not happen overnight, counseling can help lessen the ongoing trauma from a dog bite or attack.  

Contact a DuPage County, IL Dog Bite Lawyer

Securing full and fair compensation for the emotional trauma of a dog bite can be more challenging than getting a fair settlement for physical injuries and lost wages. An Aurora, IL dog bite lawyer from Dog Bite Injury Lawyer - Mevorah Law Offices LLC can help ensure you receive the compensation you deserve following a traumatic dog bite incident.

An accident that causes you mental trauma can significantly impact your quality of life, and our attorneys will fight for you every step of the way. We are a large firm with more than 175 years of collective experience. We operate on a contingency fee basis, so you pay nothing unless we win. Contact Dog Bite Injury Lawyer - Mevorah Law Offices LLC at 630-552-6860 to schedule a free consultation. Our firm is willing to go to trial and fight aggressively on your behalf.