Severe head injuries can impact victims in many ways. They demand the most immediate and careful of medical attention in order to avoid more long lasting impacts.
Thus, it is important to understand how a severe traumatic brain injury (TBI) may end up manifesting. Though it may differ in some ways from case to case, the basics will remain similar.
Physical effects
Medline Plus discusses the impact of traumatic brain injuries to the head. Symptoms often appear in physical, mental and behavioral or emotional categories.
Physically, a victim may black out or lose consciousness for a period of time. Falling into a coma may also occur. For those who do not lose consciousness or regain it, they may experience a ringing in the ears, pain in the neck, numbness or tingling, and/or a persistent and increasing headache.
Mental effects
Mentally, many victims will struggle with short-term memory loss. They may fail to recognize people familiar to them. They could forget why they got into the crash in the first place, their plans for the day, where they came from or where they wanted to go, and more. Though most of these details will return eventually, many will never recall events involving the injury itself. Memory loss struggles often continue throughout healing, too.
Behavioral effects
Behaviorally and emotionally, victims may act differently than they normally do. Many lash out at loved ones, seem angry, and cannot control their temper or moods. They may suffer from emotional breakdowns or their emotional response may not match the situation.
As with the memory effects, these will often fade with time. However, some residual impacts may last depending on the person in question and their specific TBI.
