Psychological effects of Traumatic Brain Injuries

A traumatic brain injury (TBI) can have a significant effect on how people respond to their surroundings and situations. Due to the damage caused to the brain, those affected may exhibit signs of mood swings and an inability to express their emotions. These are psychological effects that make reflexes and response to situations confusing to understand and hard to comprehend. Traumatic brain injuries are more prevalent at workplaces due to car crashes, concussions, falls, abuse and inappropriate use of equipment. Considering it can be difficult to measure the long-term emotional distress caused by a traumatic brain injury, many insurance providers find it difficult to reach a compensation that helps, not just treat those affected, but also look after their rehabilitation efforts. Under such circumstances, consulting an experienced personal injury attorney can help negotiate worker compensation and future benefits in relation to disabilities, rehabilitation, medical costs and other legal matters.

Some known psychological effects of traumatic brain injury include anxiety, depression, mood swings and temper irregularities and inability to focus on cognitive tasks.

Anxiety

Because our brain is recovering from a tragic event or has developed a fear of certain situations happening, it continues to naturally respond to stress in anticipation of what is about to happen next. It makes it difficult for individuals to interact with a crowd, or group of people. It can also cause panic attacks and lead to post-traumatic stress disorder with a tragic situation being replayed in patient’s mind.

Depression

Depression is a mental illness that affects the ability to think and respond to emotional situations. If patients may usually feel sad about the loss of someone or something, leading to low self-esteem, lethargy and loss of interest in living. It can occur when a patient finds it difficult to readjust to surroundings or has physical changes in the brain due to damage.

Cognitive Issues

Cognitive issues include the inability of an affected individual to communicate with others and find it difficult or confusing to understand speech and actions. Patients may even go into a coma under severe stress or brain injury, while there can be a partial memory loss, aggressive behavior and inability to carry out everyday tasks such as performing simple calculations or read newspapers or books.

If you wish to seek further information about personal injuries, schedule a consultation session by contacting the team at Law Offices of John V. O’Connor at 262-671-1685 to discuss your case with an experienced personal injury lawyer.