Do I need a psychiatrist? I wiped out 3 months ago. Please!! I need help!!?

Question

Hi!!

I am a 21 year old guy. I had a bad accident on my bike on 12th november while street racing. Me and the guy I was racing with(whom I didnt know) fell at over 100 KPH on a busy street. I barely escaped death. I lost my phone in the accident too. Although I wasnt severly injured (no broken bones or something) and my bike also was lucky and there was not much damage, but it has affected me deeply. I want to add that I am a budding professional racer and I am really good at bikes. I love my bike a lot and was just a emotional wreck for the 1st week and couldnt think clearly. Now, I am much better but I have lost all my confidence. I just cant ride the way I used too. (I have stopped all street racing) I have even been challenged by a much-less experienced guy for a race whom I would have easily beaten anytime in a race but I just dont have the confidence to race again. I am afraid to face him in a race. I did the Zung test for depression and scored 49(at 50 you need a psychiatrist

Biking is really close to my heart and is a very essential part of my existence? Also, my family has high hopes from me that I would do them proud someday (I guess I am good at biking only) but now I just dont have the courage or confidence. I am just too scared to ride like I used too. Its not that I am scared of injuries, its that that I start thinking about my family, my responsibilities etc. and who would fulfil my responsibilities if something happens to me. What should I do? Should I see a psychiatrist? If yes, what should I tell me family (about the psych thing)? I dont want to worry them more as I feel I have already caused enough troubles already. Psychiatrists/psychologists etc. please help!!

Answer 1

This is normal for anyone in an accident/witness of an accident. I have a friend who witnessed a fatal accident on his way home from his girlfriends. A car ran off the road at 115km/h and into a pole. My friend was the first on scene after witnessing this, the guy in the car reached for him and my friend grabbed his hand and waited until paramedics and fire rescue came. My friend held the guys hand almost the entire time they got out. He let go when he realized the guy die. That was about 3 weeks ago and he still can't sleep and his grades in school have dropped. He was at the point of selling his car, and not driving it was so bad. I talked to him a lot about it and the biggest thing he was concerned about was it happening to him. Accidents happen and death is unavoidable. You are extremly lucky that you survived.

Dealing with it is all in your head. Its not the fact you nearly died, it was the fact that you found out how easy it is to die. That is the biggest shock in many people lives. Everyone thinks it can't happen to them. You just have to get back on your bike and start out slow. The fall knocked the fear into you. Fear is good to have. If you know the dangers things will be done to prevent them. You have to have fear in your life. Without fear its just ignorance. So you wouldn't race someone less experianced then you. Does that really matter? You excaped death once, can you do it again? Its good you didn't race him in the state you are in, that would have been either the worst thing you could do, if you froze up. Or it could have been the best thing you could have done, as you realize its for you. Try to do things for yourself to get you back riding. Take it easy and work up from there. If you think you can't do it, don't. If you feel you can't race, then ride, and if you fear riding, then work on bikes. Maybe working on them for a wile you will want to get on them again (from one gear head to you) You said biking was your life. Make it so, If you have fear of your love, then do you really love it. Baby steps.

I had an accident at 60km/h in my old car, it wasn't that bad but it wasn't good either. I am an automotive apprentice and I nearly quit outright becasue of it, I didn't want to be around cars. My boss had a talk with me, and I had my 2 weeks in, he didn't accept and gave me 2 weeks paid leave. I was taking to a neiborgh afterwords. He has a Volvo that he dropped a 302 Ford into and is pushing out about 450RWHP. He took me to a race track and had me drive at 150---200km/h a few laps. after that I new it was only a matter of time before I would miss my passion and I started back at work a few days later (i might as well take a little advantage of paid leave). I've been there since, and i love it. Cars are my passion in life, and if you were to take them away from me i would probably go insane. If bikes are your passion, being away from them will make you insane. Baby steps, start out small, and work up.

Answer 2

Go back and Be with your People. Return to the race crowd and find those you trust and then look 'em in the eye. Then ask that same question to hear it from those you know. Go with what ever your gut says but remember you're 'touched' in the head. This is just a warning that life does not stand still . Maybe getting back on the bike will allow you to 'feel' the characteristics of the bike you've likely taken for granted while becoming whatever skill level you are. Obviously you need more lessons and not as good as you think. Go the the race track learn the basics and learn what you don't yet know.
If you find yourself with the shakes, take a few days off and rest. No drugs no booze. Try again, you're too damn young to quit.

Answer 3

Dang, lot's of good stuff here,. My turn? You don't need a shrink.
I never raced, but I've cracked up a few times. I never got hurt real bad, so I got right back on. Mostly because I just wasn't going to leave it there. Thing is, something was wrong, and you wiped out. When you know what it was you won't do it again. If bikes are your passion, just ride for the enjoyment. Put in some solo track time, maybe against the clock if you feel like, or not. When you do race, go against a field, not one on one. They call me crazy. They don't know what Depression really is. I do. Please read my other answers. I'm pretty honest. Passion? I don't know what it is any more. And you just have a problem to work out. Talk to a friend. it can help. Depression won't keep you from riding, trust me.

Answer 4

Glad you sirvived....did you perhaps learn that racing on public streets is not the brightest thing to do? Far too many unpredicatable dangers for you and for others.

There was an old adage about falling off a horse.....get right back on and ride.

The same thing applies to motorcycles. I had to quit riding one year because I came off badly and got part of my back broken. The year after that I took a trip across 15 States. That was 30 years ago. I still ride and have three bikes.

There is another adage:

There are only two types of bikers: those who have fallen, and those who will fall.

If you really feel you need psychiatric help, then go and get it right away. If not, get back on the bike and ride it.....perhaps only a little at first, then build up and carry on.

Answer 5

OK why are you racing in the street to begin with?? Street bike riding is just that "Riding".You should know this if you are a "budding pro" My son is almost 23 not much older than you. He has been racing Motocross for 10 years. When he was 14 and practicing for a race up behind our house (we live in a rural area) he flipped his bike he stood up shook it off and then realized his thumb and glove were in the sprocket. With blood everywhere him and his buddy stopped at the closest neighbor who took him to the ER the friend came and got my husband. From where we are we took him to UCLA for the hand team to work on him,. They couldn't save his thumb it was to mangled up. For eight long months my kid couldn't ride he also had broken bones in his hand. His thumb cut off right at the knuckle. So he still has enough left for throttle. He was scared his first race he was only 14! I was more scared than him!! he did get off real quick his arms went straight up in the air and it's never been a problem since. This I am telling you as the old if you fall get back on.
But why do you or your buddies race on the street?? That's looking for an accident or death. I know what you mean when you say you love your bike and I 'm a mom & wife, my husband also used to race when he was younger but in the dirt. take your ike out by yourself if you must stay on the street. You will get your confidence back. You do not need to race. And darlin' you are way to young to be this depressed if it is only over a race.
Have you ever considered dirt bike racing & you can still cruise on your street bike? Yeah I know firsthand you can be hurt in the dirt too. or even killed. The chances are just not as high as you have protective gear on. You don't need a shrink kiddo you just need to search your soul and get you confidence back and believe in yourself. My son has been so pissed off at his self at a race before, but as a motomom and his mom as long as he comes in okay then it's ok. He wins alot of races he's good. But he knows as his Dad taught him and his dad also raced the win is great But you are more important. Please take care.

Answer 6

I begged my uncle(who raised me) to buy me a motorcycle. He did and the first thing I did was crash and it landed on me. Nothing hurt but my pride. I wanted to just walk home, but he would not let me, he made me get back on and ride home. It was the best thing he could have done. 20+ years later, I buy a cruiser, first thing I did was put it down. I made my boyfriend put the bike up. That night I could hear my uncle tell me from beyond,"girl, get back on that bike" so I did. As much as I love riding, I had to make myself do it. The fear of leaving my 3 young sons without a mother was eating me up.If I had not I would not be riding today! The family you are worried about, they love you and want you to enjoy what you love doing.Ya gotta get back on, and it takes awhile to get the confidence back, just ride for pleasure for awhile, ease back into the racing when you start feeling better. There are 2 kinds of bikers, those that are going down and those that have been down.The latter group is where you will find your more skilled riders. Learn what ya can from going down, its how we gain experience and skills.

Answer 7

You might need to talk to a professional to get your problem out in the open so you can deal with it. A bad get off shakes your confidence to no end whether you are racing or just out for a ride. A 100 KMH is not that fast by American standards. Barely 62 miles a hour.

What happened was you got a little too over confident. Common problem with all bikers, And when that happens you are going to always end up picking pee gravel out of your butt, or plowing a field with your butt. One of the two. And over here our speed limits are a lot higher than over there for the most part. Usually 70MPH or roughly 112 KMH. So when we have a bad get off we pick a lot of pee gravel out of our butts.

Anyway if you can't shake it you might need to get professional help to deal with the problem. It might not even be related to the bad get off.

Answer 8

Heck, I don't know any racer that has gone down and not had a confidence problem afterwords. What makes them better is learning from screw-ups. You have already learned to stop street racing, good idea, to many unknown factors. On a track it has more control, like not having a car pull out from a side street, etc.
Give it some time, if your as good as you say, you'll be back.

Answer 9

I AM sorry you crashed, and I AM glad you survived with no serious injuries but racing on a busy street tells me you have lousy judgment. Which is why you can't figure out what to do now that you have had a bad scare.

You could have killed an innocent person so knock it off. You want to race, go to the track. If some idiot like you killed someone I cared about, I would see to it your life was miserable until you shaped up and admitted you had a calloused, selfish attitude toward other people. Movie makers can get away with street racing scenes because they CLOSE OFF THE STREETS and hire stunt riders.

Life is NOT a video game, knock off the street racing or you might end up in jail where big bad boys like to make boy toys of young pretty inmates.

And yes it might help to talk to a therapist about your new found fear. It might help to talk to a minister who wouldn't even charge you any money.

Answer 10

first, I feel obligated to say you are an idiot for "street racing"; I have been riding street bikes for close to two decades, and had a few spills over the years, but they have never dulled my enthusiasm for the sport; if riding is really so deeply engrained in your persona, dig deep and spend the money for leathers, etc ... and go to the track; you can blow off a months worth of steam in one day and you don't have to worry about cross traffic, cops, oily road surfaces, dogs, kids, or any of the other thousands of things that are out there to distract you on the street; an added benefit of going to the track is that it will actually improve your riding, allowing you to know just how far and at what speed you can lean your bike over, where the edge of traction is, and how to judge distance & braking for optimum performance.