However, mood and emotional issues usually are not discussed until later when you're already experiencing them. About half of the people who experience a TBI experience depression within the first year after the initial injury.
When changes take place in the brain after an injury, certain chemicals called neurotransmitters often get thrown off.
Neurotransmitters are responsible for bodily functions, like making your heart beat and telling your stomach when to digest, but they are also responsible for regulating your mood and creating natural highs like excitement and happiness.
Serotonin and dopamine are two common neurotransmitters. Dopamine helps with depression and serotonin stabilizes your mood. Epinephrine is responsible for your stress levels while norepinephrine is responsible for anxiety levels.
When all these neurotransmitters are not functioning properly after a TBI, you basically have a normal person turning into a deeply depressed and stressed out individual who is screaming at you for no actual reason except you pissed them off by taking their clothes out of the dryer 2 minutes too early.
That could be an exaggeration, but it could not be one either.
A lot of people don't like talking about their depression, no matter what the circumstances are. Everyone just talks about the "it made me stronger" part without mentioning the part where they wanted to light their house on fire and punch their closest friend in the face.
I'm not here to tell you that I "endured this hardship life placed in my path with flying colors." No, I'm going to be honest with all of you and tell you I turned into an angry, depressed lunatic almost instantly after my concussion and I am not afraid to admit that because it is the truth.
For a good while, I had no tolerance for anyone or anything (basically, I turned into my mom - just kidding mom!). I got so angry at the weirdest things to the point where I would shout and I wouldn't even remember what I said afterwards - nor did I care. If my family so much as had the TV on, I would get obscenely angry and lash out because I felt they did not respect my noise sensitivity. I had crazy panic attacks for no reason and I started hating humanity as a whole.
If you know someone who has had a brain injury and is acting like a psycho, for the love of God do not tell them to "calm down" or "stop acting like that" - there's a good chance they cannot help it. Plus, they do not feel like their normal selves so they can't just hit the 'off' switch and start acting like their sweet selves again - they are embodying this new person and it might take a while for them not to hate you anymore. They don't really hate you, they just really hate you right now.
Yes, this is all normal, whatever that word even means in the TBI world. My neurologist told me one of his patients was an outgoing man who was very successful in the workplace, but after his injury, he quit his job, divorced his wife, stopped talking to everyone he knew and continues to live as a hermit in his apartment some years later. Another man who was in a motorcycle accident could not stand being around his newborn baby. Brain injuries can change you, that is a fact.
So what can you do?
1. Talk about it. This isn't always an option if the injury is severe enough, but as soon as the patient is well enough to talk, find a good therapist who specializes in brain injuries. If an hour session is too long, have a 20 or 30 minute session instead. Believe me, having someone to vent to who knows you haven't lost your shit for no reason will do A LOT of good. They can help you understand why you feel the way you do and how to handle it.
2. Antidepressants. I always try to use pills as a last resort but this can be especially helpful for people whose brains are not producing a speck of feel-good chemicals. Depression does not go away on its own without help, and if it is severe enough, antidepressants may just do the trick to keep you sane.
3. Get out of the house, if you can. It is not always an option for a while if you can't drive or do normal everyday things, but even a short walk around the block or going out to a (quiet) restaurant will improve your mood. Being around too many people drove me crazy because of sensory overload, so going some place quiet and calm with few people is usually best in the beginning stages.
4. Exercise (if you are able to). Exercise might seem like the worst idea but studies show that light, modified exercise can help heal a brain injury much quicker. Yoga is often recommended for TBI patients because it can be modified, it helps build your strength back up and it helps get your mind off of those damn, noisy kids who won't shut up outside (brain injuries basically turn you into a crabby old man).
5. Get your family/close loved ones to understand. Chances are, they have no clue about brain injuries. One day I printed out a list of symptoms and hung it on our fridge. Apparently that was weird but it helped my family understand what I was going through without me yelling about it. Have them read this article at the very least.
Don't give up on this. You will get better overtime, and one day you'll realize everyone isn't against you, they just have no freaking clue how to make things better for you.
Brain injuries ring true to the old "one step backward, two steps forward." Some days you don't want to be nice. Some days you feel like you will never get better. But that's okay. You will be okay. Eventually, the good days will start to outweigh your bad days. You will be on your way to peace.
Brain injuries ring true to the old "one step backward, two steps forward." Some days you don't want to be nice. Some days you feel like you will never get better. But that's okay. You will be okay. Eventually, the good days will start to outweigh your bad days. You will be on your way to peace.
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