There May Be a Surprising Link Between Depression and Concussions in Kids Who Play Football

For years, studies have found that depression is an all-too-common symptom of concussions. Youth athletes, college athletes and retired NFL players who have suffered brain injuries are all at increased risk of mental illness. A new study, published in The Journal of Pediatrics, flips the relationship between concussions and depression, and asks a different question: Are kids who have depression more at risk of suffering a concussion while playing football? Indeed, according to the new research, children who have been previously diagnosed with depression had a five-fold increased risk of suffering a concussion while playing football compared to those who did not have a depression diagnosis. The study tracked 863 youth football players from ages 5 through 14 in the Seattle area over two recent seasons. Researchers found a 5.1% concussion incidence rate, higher than the reported rate in prior studies of youth football players, which ranged between 0.9% and 4.4%. The number of youth players who had been previously diagnosed with depression was small: just 16 out of the 863 players. Still, their greater odds of suffering a concussion was statistically significant, and provides more information for parents to consider when making the often difficult decision whether or not their sons should play football. Dr. Sara Chrisman, lead author of the study and an assistant professor of adolescent medicine at Seattle Children’s Hospital, offers potential explanations for this findin...
Source: TIME: Health - Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Tags: Uncategorized Football onetime Source Type: news