Traumatic brain injury (TBI) can be a life-changing injury, even if it is called a “mild” brain injury. The terms “mild”, “moderate”, and “severe” only refer to the initial loss of consciousness, not the actual damage and outcome of the injury. Traumatic brain injury problems can be life-long or temporary. No doctor can accurately predict how long you will experience problems, or if you will begin to experience new problems weeks or months after TBI occurs.
Emotional and Personality Problems
The emotional and personality changes that can come with TBI are often very isolating for victims and their loved ones. Those who are not warned suffer the most, because they are hurt and confused. But even if you know what to expect, the emotional and personality changes are typically the hardest part of living with TBI and loving someone with TBI. These problems can include:
- Lost sense of self
- Lost self-esteem
- Lack of empathy
- Depression
- Anxiety
- Unexplained anger
- Irritability
- Mood swings
- Apathy
- Substance abuse
Cognitive Difficulties
Less surprising is the effect that TBI can have on your ability to think and process information. Examples include:
- Memory problems
- Difficulty concentrating or focusing
- Problems with organization
- Inability to multi-task
- Poor judgment
- Slow mental processing
- Difficulty starting or completing tasks
- Problems with decision making
- Impaired reasoning
- Impaired learning
Communication
Depending on the area of the brain that is damaged, you may experience various types of difficulty with communicating. This can be extremely frustrating and add to the isolation that TBI victims suffer with. Communication problems can include difficulty with:
- Understanding speech or text
- Finding or forming common words, even though you know what you mean
- Following conversations
- Organizing your thoughts
- Recognizing and understanding nonverbal cues
- Picking up on and interpreting changes in pitch or tone which indicate emotion or differences in meaning
- Starting or stopping conversations
- Taking your turn appropriately in a conversation
If you or someone you know have been hurt and are considering a brain injury lawsuit, please contact one of our qualified accident attorneys.
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