Brain injury is a very serious and dangerous sickness that can take a toll on a victim physically, cognitively, and emotionally. While immediate medical attention can help a person recover, the victims can still feel some symptoms even years after their surgery or treatment.
Symptoms of Brain Injury
While there are very common symptoms of brain injury, which include headaches, dizziness, fatigue, etc., the effects may differ on a case to case basis. It is known that many people’s symptoms reduce and they become significantly better after medical treatment, but a lot don’t completely recover from brain injuries.
In fact, studies have shown that 15-20% of patients who suffered a brain injury continue to experience symptoms for more than a year after. Of these, only a quarter did not report persistently disturbing symptoms four years after their injury. That means that for many victims, the ongoing symptoms are permanent and many are not able to retain their jobs due to the significant impacts on their ability to work productively.
Physical Symptoms
Physical symptoms of brain injury include:
- Headaches
- Dizziness and Vomiting
- Fatigue
- Loss of consciousness
- Speech impairment
- Sleep deprivation
- Over sleeping
- Loss of balance
Research shows that these types of symptoms were the most prominent in the first three to ten years after the injury.
Cognitive Symptoms
Cognitive symptoms include:
- Memory loss
- Concentration problems
- Mood swings
- Agitation
- Confusion
- Coma or other consciousness disorders
Emotional Symptoms
Emotional symptoms include:
- Anxiety
- Depression
- Poor judgment and disinhibition
- Impulsive behavior
- Negativity
- Intolerance
- Lack of motivation
- Lack of empathy
Cognitive and emotional symptoms were found to be less prevalent in the first few months of injury. But they become increasingly disturbing the following years after.
Why it’s important to know the 3 categories of TBI symptoms
Brain injury survivors need to know the three categories of TBI symptoms and how to classify what they are feeling. This will help them better communicate to their doctor the symptoms they are experiencing and will ensure that medical professionals can properly target and address the specific concern.
