Link Found Between DUI Offenders and Mental Illness

 Posted on August 13, 2014 in Motor Vehicle Accidents

Driving under the influence of alcohol or other mind or perception altering drugs has become an epidemic in this country and has a great impact on motor vehicle accidents as well as the injuries that can result. Although police officers have the ability to test on scene for alcohol, other drugs can be harder to detect. This is complicated by the issue of narcotic medication use and abuse, even when it is taken legally.

If you were involved in a motor vehicle accident with an intoxicated driver, nothing can excuse any behavior; however, understanding all the factors may allow us to prevent future incidents. In fact, studies have now shown that mental illness is a huge contributor to the DUI problem.

Almost 60 percent of all Driving While Intoxicated (DUI) repeat offenders suffer from one or more psychiatric illnesses.

While repeat DUI convictions can certainly land a person in jail in many states, perhaps the issue is not the result but the underlying cause instead. By jailing these offenders we are not making any progress for society; instead, we are often making a problem much worse. Should we screen these multiple offenders for mental illness and treat them accordingly, perhaps terrible accidents could be prevented.

These mental illnesses can be serious, and most often presented in the form of:

• post traumatic stress disorder;
• bipolar disorder or;
• obsessive compulsive disorder.

This is not only way to look at the issue of mental illnesses in personal injury law, however. In fact, car accident victims can often fall victim to psychiatric problems as a result of their crashes. whether in the form of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (which can be common, especially when injury or death is present), or other types of anxiety and depression brought on by physical injuries. If you or a loved one has sustained physical or psychological damages due to a motor vehicle accident, The Woolf Law Firm, LLC provides legal services in personal injury law throughout the State of Connecticut. Do not hesitate; contact experienced Connecticut personal injury attorneys at The Woolf Law Firm, LLC today for assistance in getting your life back on track after a personal injury.