Even mild brain injuries can cause severe complications

When a person suffers a blow to the head, there is always a chance that they may receive a brain injury. In some cases, these events go unnoticed, and may only affect the victim about as much as a heavy night of drinking. In other cases, the damage is often much more serious than the victim or those around them realize.

A mild traumatic brain injury may seem like a good diagnosis considering that more serious brain injuries can leave a victim in a coma or simply kill them outright. However, these injuries often cause significant long-term harm to the victim by changing the way the victim reacts to stressful circumstances and interprets information. Unless the victim and those around them understand that a brain injury causes these changes, the victim’s professional and personal relationships may all suffer.

Personality changes

Mild TBIs often go undiagnosed, and a victim may not even remember hitting their head. This is why it is always wise to seek out a full medical examination immediately after any car accident or other high-impact experience. Identifying a brain injury early on can help a victim understand the changes they experience and treat the injury so that the symptoms do not last longer than necessary.

A common symptom of mild TBI is a victim’s loss of ability to focus on tasks that are familiar or simple enough that the victim feels they should easily complete them. This may be something as simple as washing dishes, or performing duties on the job that the victim performed easily before the injury.

Additionally, the helplessness that a victim feels when they cannot complete these tasks often causes them to overreact in volatile ways. A manager or worker who witnesses this or gets caught in the middle of it may assume that the victim’s behavior is related to substance abuse or some other personal issue, rather than understanding that it is the result of a physical injury and is beyond the victim’s control.

Misinterpreting input

Victims often report that mild TBIs scramble the connections in their brains between their vocabulary and their contextual understanding. Simply put, mild TBI victims may constantly misinterpret everything they read or hear by misunderstanding context clues. After several instances of frustrating misunderstandings like this, the victim’s job or family life may crumble. These effects are not silly or painless; they can be prove destructive for the victim and those around them.

Recovering from a brain injury is often a long, difficult process. If you or someone you love recently suffered a brain injury, make sure that you understand the issues at hand as you seek help to reach a full recovery while protecting your rights. A brain injury attorney at The Matera Law Firm can help.

If you or someone you love is in need of an experienced personal injury lawyer or criminal defense attorney, contact us today for a free confidential consultation. We proudly serve Suffolk County, Nassau County, Long Island, Brooklyn, Manhattan, Bronx, Queens, and throughout New York State.

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