Of all the injuries one can suffer, severe burns have one of the highest potentials to inflict permanent psychological distress. When those burns cause facial disfigurement, it is almost impossible to not be mentally affected by their appearance after the accident.
Imagine waking up each morning to see their disfigurement apparent in the mirror every morning. It can be enough to make burn survivors crawl back under the covers as they collapse into depression.
Psychic pain lingers long after physical healing
Make no mistake, the physical injuries of third-degree burn injuries are painful and may take multiple surgeries to recover functionality of the body parts affected. But eventually, maximum recovery is achieved. What remains unhealed is the psychological effects of the burn injury.
The challenges of full emotional recovery
Severely burned survivors may lose the capacity to perform gainful employment due to the lingering effects of their burns. They may be unable to work in jobs where they interact with customers and other individuals.
Even those who previously thrived in remote positions away from the public eye may be too demoralized by their burn injuries to return to their previous jobs.
Help is available to those who seek it
Despite these situations, psychologically affected burn victims have a couple of avenues to pursue regarding future compensation. If the burns occurred in a workplace setting, they can seek a workers’ compensation settlement that includes provisions that cover the costs of present and future psychological counseling.
If the burns occurred in a non-work setting, third-degree burn victims may need to apply for Social Security disability benefits earmarked for treatment of the psychological effects of their disfiguring injuries.