Depression, anxiety, and dementia are just some of the mental health issues that have been shown to correlate with head trauma. A mental health professional examining a patient with a head injury may encounter a wide range of symptoms that are difficult to pin down. For instance, a person with a history of head traumas may exhibit indications of a mental condition such as forgetfulness or inability to focus. Sleep issues, mood swings, and irritability can all be side effects of a head injury that may be misdiagnosed as the result of a mental health condition (Theadom et al., 2019). To establish a correct diagnosis, mental health professionals should be aware of the possible connection between head traumas and mental health issues.
An ever-growing body of evidence links head injuries to various mental health issues, from anxiety and depression to Alzheimer’s disease. A mental health practitioner may be deceived or confused by a patient’s presenting symptoms after a head injury, which might compromise the accuracy of their assessment (Hong & Rao, 2020). This holds truer still if the patient has sustained catastrophic brain damage. Those unaware of a person’s history of brain damage may incorrectly diagnose symptoms of mental illness, such as forgetfulness or inattention, as being caused by the individual. People who have suffered from previous head traumas may find it difficult to focus or recall information.
Concussion symptoms may be mistaken for those of a mental illness. It is not unheard of for someone with a concussion to exhibit symptoms like irritability, sleeplessness, and mood swings. In order to accurately identify their patients, mental health practitioners should be aware of the link between traumatic brain injury and mental health issues. Having a concussion is associated with a higher risk of developing depressive symptoms (Hong & Rao, 2020). Depression after a concussion can manifest in various ways, but the most common ones include a heightened emotional response, melancholy, anger, anxiousness, and weariness. People with depression had worse results than those without the disorder. Suicidal thoughts and suicide attempts were also substantially correlated with the self-reported history of sports-related concussions.
Mood swings are one of the symptoms of brain injury. Depending on how severely these changes occur, they might cause anything from a temporary increase in irritation to full-blown depression (Kelly et al., 2018). Having problems falling asleep or staying asleep during the night is a common complaint among adults. This may be unpleasant for someone attempting to get some shut-eye. Brain injuries can severely reduce a person’s vitality, appetite, and desire to engage in sexual activity (Topolovec-Vranic et al., 2019). A person’s mood or degree of worry at any particular time may seem like it has nothing to do with the symptoms and signs of a mental disorder (Ilie et al., 2018). After a concussion, the injured person may experience dizziness, nausea, and headaches. These feelings might result from something more serious, such as a migraine or an ear infection. Symptoms of both diseases might sometimes overlap with one another. Seizures can be a side effect of brain injury, albeit they only happen in rare cases.
In conclusion, an incorrect diagnosis of a seizure as epilepsy, which can be fatal if the underlying cause is not addressed, is conceivable Mental health providers should be aware of the possible link between head injuries and mental health issues to make an accurate diagnosis. Mental health practitioners should always inquire about any history of head trauma, including concussions, while examining a patient (Ströhle, 2018). They should also be familiar with the symptoms of head traumas and how they may be misunderstood as the symptoms of mental illness. These symptoms are sometimes misinterpreted as caused by head traumas and can lead to mental health issues.
References
Hong, E., & Rao, A. L. (2020). Mental health in the athlete: Modern perspectives and novel challenges for the sports medicine provider. Springer Nature.
Ilie, G., Mann, R. E., Boak, A., Adlaf, E. M., Hamilton, H., Asbridge, M., Rehm, J., & Cusimano, M. D. (2018). Suicidality, bullying and other conduct and mental health correlates of traumatic brain injury in adolescents. PLoS ONE, 9(4), e94936. Web.
Kelly, J. C., Amerson, E. H., & Barth, J. T. (2018). Mild traumatic brain injury: Lessons learned from clinical, sports, and combat concussions. Rehabilitation Research and Practice, 2012, 1-5. Web.
Ströhle, A. (2018). Sports psychiatry: Mental health and mental disorders in athletes and exercise treatment of mental disorders. European Archives of Psychiatry and Clinical Neuroscience, 269(5), 485-498. Web.
Theadom, A., Starkey, N. J., Dowell, T., Hume, P. A., Kahan, M., McPherson, K., & Feigin, V. (2019). Sports-related brain injury in the general population: An epidemiological study. Journal of Science and Medicine in Sport, 17(6), 591-596. Web.
Topolovec-Vranic, J., Zhang, S., Wong, H., Lam, E., Jing, R., Russell, K., & Cusimano, M. D. (2018). Recognizing the symptoms of mental illness following concussions in the sports community: A need for improvement. PLOS ONE, 10(11). Web.