Mental health consequences of traumatic brain injury

Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is associated with a host of psychiatric and neurobehavioral problems. As mortality rates have declined for severe TBI, attention has turned to the cognitive, affective, and behavioral sequelae of injuries across the severity spectrum, which are often more disabling than residual physical effects. Moderate and severe TBI can cause personality changes including impulsivity, severe irritability, affective instability, and apathy. Mild TBI, once considered a largely benign phenomenon, is now known to be associated with a range of affective symptoms, with suicidality, and with worsening or new onset of several psychiatric disorders including posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and major depressive disorder.

Source: Biological Psychiatry - October 2, 2021 Category: Psychiatry Authors: Jonathon R. Howlett, Lindsay D. Nelson, Murray B. Stein Tags: Review Source Type: research