Residents of New Haven do not devote nearly as much time to their everyday commutes as those who live in major metropolitan areas, such as New York or Los Angeles. Still, if you are like most of your neighbors, you spend about 22 minutes every workday behind the wheel of your car, truck or SUV. During this time, you have some risk of sustaining a serious injury in a motor vehicle accident.
While there are many ways to injure your body in a car crash, your brain may be particularly vulnerable. A traumatic brain injury happens when your brain suffers a blow. While headaches, confusion, nausea and vision problems are common with TBIs, this type of injury may also jeopardize your emotional health.
Anxiety
One of the more common mood-related side effects of a TBI is anxiety. Those who have even mild brain injuries often report feeling high levels of stress. Unfortunately, the aftermath of a car accident is not an ideal time to experience deep anxiety. That is, having to cope with enhanced stress may slow your overall recovery process considerably.
Depression
You may have a long road to recovery after suffering a TBI in a car accident. Sadly, some physical and mental limitations may never improve. As you adjust to a new way of life, you may experience considerable sadness and frustration. If these emotions are pervasive, you may develop depression.
Mood control
If you have a TBI, you may have difficulty controlling your mood. For example, you may feel joyous one moment only to experience deep sadness the next. You may also have outbursts of anger. While these symptoms of a TBI may resolve over time without medical intervention, medication may be necessary to even out your temperament.
While you may expect to have bodily injuries in a car accident, you may not think about the potentially devastating toll a TBI may take on your emotional health. Still, you must prioritize all aspects of your well-being. By understanding the possible emotional effects of a TBI, you can better plan for recovering completely.
