When an individual suffers a traumatic brain injury, the unfortunate event often changes their mental health, cognition, and other areas of their overall brain function. If you or a loved one has suffered a traumatic brain injury after an accident, you may be wondering if personality changes may occur after the injury. TBIs can lead to lengthy recoveries, and many individuals have to readjust to a new life. It may become challenging if the injured individual has a long recovery and if the accident alters the person.
At The Law Offices of JG Winter, our skilled brain injury attorney can help you file a claim to recover the compensation needed to help you through your recovery. It is common to have many questions and concerns after an accident and life-changing event. Our legal team is here to help you, and our attorney understands the circumstances you are facing. Continue reading to learn more about how personalities may be affected by a traumatic event such as a TBI.
How Does a Brain Injury Affect Brain Function?
The effects of traumatic brain injury may appear differently for every individual. Depending on certain factors, such as where the brain injury occurred and the severity of the impact, recovery times may be lengthy for the injured person. In this recovery period, it is common to have various cognitive, behavioral, and mood changes resulting from brain injury.
A brain injury affects the brain’s function by:
- Causing physical damage and trauma in the brain.
- Damaging nerve cells and decreasing brain function.
- Causing memory problems and disrupting cognitive function.
- Affecting awareness and consciousness.
After an impact on the brain, injured individuals need to seek immediate medical attention to begin assessing and treating life-threatening injuries. Individuals recovering from traumatic brain injury may endure the side effects and long-term difficulties for a while after starting treatment and therapy. Cognitive and behavioral function are not the only areas affected by trauma to the head. Many people and their families may notice behavioral and mood changes in the injured person.
Does a TBI Cause Personality Changes for the Injured Individual?
Unfortunately, it is prevalent for people with brain injuries to encounter mood and mental health changes. This may include personality changes, developing depression, anxiety, outbursts, and mood swings. The frontal lobe in the brain is responsible for personality and impulsive behavior. If there is frontal lobe damage, a person may experience uncontrollable anger, aggression, outbursts, or the opposite, referred to as the ‘flat affect.’ This creates an inability to show normal emotions and makes the injured person appear apathetic.
Flat affect may result from a common side effect of brain injury depression or may be caused by the brain injury itself. It is common to experience emotional reactions when going through life changes, especially traumatic ones. In a recent study, about 30% of post-concussion patients experienced long-lasting symptoms of altered and inefficient processing in the brain due to the disruption of connections within neurons and blood vessels in the brain after the injury. About 59.1% of individuals in a study conducted in 2015 were found to have experienced personality changes after acquiring a brain injury. Researchers noted these changes in traits such as extraversion and conscientiousness.
It may be complicated and frightening to experience cognitive, emotional, and mental health changes after a brain injury. These side effects are only a single aspect of the damage that one may suffer following a car accident, slip and fall, act of violence, or other unfortunate accident.
If you or a loved one have experienced personality changes and added difficulty to your everyday life following an accident, a skilled attorney can help you retrieve the compensation owed to you regarding the long-term recovery and injuries you have endured at the expense of another’s negligence.
What to Know About the Long-Term TBI Recovery
Any individual that suffers trauma to the head and brain requires immediate medical attention following an accident. However, even though medical personnel and hospitals treat life-threatening injuries and attempt to protect an individual from added harm, the recovery doesn’t end there. A prognosis for TBI patients may vary, depending on mild or severe damage exposed to the brain. Most people recover their overall brain function within three months of a mild TBI accident. Although, injured individuals that have endured more severe accidents will need extensive therapy for months or years following the accident.
Typical brain injury recovery medical needs include:
- Brain surgery
- Occupational and physical therapy
- Speech/language therapy
- Mental health counseling
- Psychological services
- Social service needs
- Other aspects of well-being and recovery
If you or your loved one is experiencing the overwhelming effects of a severe TBI accident, a Sacramento traumatic brain injury attorney can help you gather all the information you need for a successful claim against the liable parties. You may find ease in your recovery while your legal team supports you by filing an injury claim.
Call the Law Offices of JG Winter for Experienced Legal Representation after a TBI in Sacramento
At The Law Offices of JG Winter, our attorney Jeremy G. Winter understands what you and your family may be going through following a traumatic brain injury. Our legal team is skilled in resolving these cases, and we are eager to help you throughout the brain injury claim process. Contact our Sacramento location by filling out our contact form or calling (844) 734-2626 to schedule your free consultation.
