People who suffer from a traumatic brain injury, including mild ones like concussions, can suffer considerable risks throughout life. Some people don’t realize the extent to which this might occur. A recent study that was done by researchers at Boston University School of Medicine found that individuals who suffer repeated head injuries are at an increased risk of suffering from depression at some point in their lifetime.
Depression didn’t necessarily set in quickly after the injuries. In some cases, it was later in life when people developed this problem, as well as some defects with cognitive functioning. The study found that the race, gender, age and education level of the individuals didn’t play a role in the prevalence of depression.
One factor that likely did have an impact on the likelihood of an individual having this symptom was the duration and severity of the injury; however, that information wasn’t available for the study. Each individual who participated was responsible for reporting on their own brain injuries.
This study is particularly troublesome because when you consider the possibility of chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) after repeated head injuries, the risk of severe mental health impacts increases. CTE dramatically changes the brain over time and is only able to be diagnosed postmortem.
Individuals who have traumatic brain injuries also have to deal with a reduction in their ability to learn, process information or remember things. They can also have a decreased reaction time. Ultimately, these are factors that can have considerable negative impacts on their life.
Because a brain injury is catastrophic, individuals who suffer them may need extensive long-term care. If the brain injury was the result of someone else’s negligence, a claim for compensation might be in order.