Study: Traumatic Brain Injury Can Worsen Cognition and Depression

By Hickey Law Firm | October 10, 2020

In what is likely confirmation of an intuitively obvious conclusion, researchers have recently confirmed that traumatic brain injury can worsen cognition and depression. 

Psychiatryadvisor.com reports that a recent study of the effects of traumatic brain injury (TBI) and repetitive head impacts (RHI) “was conducted among individuals from the Brain Health Registry (BHR) who completed [an] online evaluation,” comparing middle-aged and elderly people who had a history of repetitive head impacts and traumatic brain injuries with those who did not have a history of RHI or TBI. 

The study measured a total of 13,232 participants in relation to cognition and depression metrics. The study found that a total of 16.4% of the participants reported symptoms of clinically meaningful-depression. Those who had experienced traumatic brain injury, especially TBI involving loss of consciousness (LOC), reported significantly higher rates of depression. The TBI with LOC group reported a score .75 higher than the unaffected group on the Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS-15). According to Psychcongress.com, scores between 5 and 10 suggest depression, while scores 10 and over almost are almost always indicative of depression.

The scores of those who had suffered RHI were even more stark, coming in at 1.24 higher than the unaffected group on the GDS-15. 

If you or a loved one has suffered a traumatic brain injury due to someone else’s negligence, contact us today. We will lead you on the journey to justice. We will show you the way. We will explain the process and what we have done and what we will do. Take our hand and walk with us. We have a team ready for you now. 

Posted in Personal Injury