All of us will spend some time in the hospital at some point in our lives. No one plans on becoming sick or injured, but it is inevitable that it will happen at least once or twice during our lives. When we’re in the hospital, we trust the doctors and institutions to protect us and to provide us with a reasonable standard of care.

Unfortunately, this is not always the case, and sometimes medical mistreatment occurs. This can be a highly traumatic experience and can have a profound effect on our lives after the event. If you are struggling to get back on track following medical mistreatment, here is some advice that might help.

Doctor

Work with a Mental Health Professional

If you are having a hard time adjusting to the emotional effects of medial mistreatment, you might want to consult with a mental health professional and see if cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) might be helpful to your recovery. CBT will help you to change the way that you react to intrusive thoughts, which are common in people who have been through significant trauma.

Like other forms of behavioural and psychological therapy, CBT isn’t going to work overnight; it is something that you will need to commit to for the long term. Don’t be disheartened if you don’t start to see results straight away – be prepared to stick with it, and make sure that you do all the exercises you are given, even if you aren’t sure how they’re going to help you.

Work Towards Acceptance

Unfortunately, as much as most of us would love to, we cannot change things that have already happened. One of the most common causes of internal conflict following a traumatic event is the difficulty in accepting what has happened and wishing that there was some way of retroactively changing it. 

Instead of going over the event again and again in your head and trying to spot all the opportunities that you missed to alter the course of events, you should work towards accepting what happened and how you can integrate the experience into your life going forward.

Making a Complaint

If you think that the level of medical mistreatment that you have suffered rises to the level of medical negligence, you might want to consider pursuing a complaint. Pursuing a complaint can lead to compensation, but even itdoesn’t, it can provide you with much-needed closure. In particular, if your complaint is upheld, then the hospital or individuals responsible for your care might admit wrongdoing, or at least that you suffered something that shouldn’t have happened.

In the case of medical negligence, you should consult with a specialist solicitor. They will be able to advise you as to whether you have a case worth pursuing or not. If you do, then they can guide you through the rest of the process.

Getting back on track following medical mistreatment can be difficult, but it is important to face the issue head-on. Don’t be afraid to ask for professional help if you are struggling, and file a complaint if you think you are entitled to compensation.