A traumatic brain injury usually occurs as the result of a severe impact to the head. These injuries can have numerous effects on various aspects of a victim’s life and health. Some impacts, like memory impairment, are well-known.
Others, like the impact a TBI can have on a victim’s personality, do not gain nearly as much attention.
How personality changes occur
Medline Plus discusses the impact of brain trauma on victims of head injury. Brain trauma affects different aspects of a person based on factors like the force behind the blow, its location, and the overall health of the victim.
One thing most TBI victims do not expect includes the alteration to their personality. Victims, especially those with damage to the frontal lobe, will often struggle with impulse control. This can include control over one’s temper, leading to a victim lashing out at others, including loved ones.
This is often traumatic both for the victim and also those around them, especially if the victim did not have a previous history of violence or issues with their temper management.
Reduction of stress management
Overall stress management may reduce, too. This can lead to a victim crying or having other emotional breakdowns over issues that they may have barely blinked an eye at in the past. This can lead to a more chaotic, hard-to-predict pattern of behavior as a victim gets increasingly frustrated with themselves and their surroundings.
These changes will often revert through the healing process, but some may leave lasting impacts on the victim and take a long time to lessen. Thus, it unfortunately remains a source of discomfort and stress for many years to come.
