What is Traumatic Brain Injury?
A traumatic brain injury occurs when a sudden trauma causes damage to the brain. Damage can be a result of a car accident, whiplash, assault, gunshot wound, aneurysm, stroke, infection, anoxia, concussion or blast injury. Brain injury results in changes to physical, cognitive, executive, affective / behavioral, and psychosocial functioning.
Signs and Symptoms of Traumatic Brain Injury
It is not uncommon to see emotional and behavioral changes in people who have had a brain injury. There can be changes in the way that people feel (their mood) and in their ability to express their feelings (their affect). It is also common to see personality changes. You may notice that the person behaves differently or has attitudes that are very different from what they were before the injury. At times, the differences can be extreme, but more often they are subtle. Personality and attitudes may seem the same, but may be exaggerated.