When a severe TBI Survivor awakens from their surgery or a coma, which resulted from the trauma occurring from the accident, they can experience post-traumatic amnesia (PTA).  The injured person may struggle to remember past events, create new memories, and exhibit behavioral changes. They might recognize family members or friends but struggle with understanding why they are in the hospital or rehab facility.  The duration of amnesia can indicate the injury’s severity and the potential for long-term recovery.

 

There are two types of amnesia:

     •   Retrograde amnesia – is the the inability to remember past events, moments sporadically through                     their history or history in general, or possibly large sections of who they are.

     •   Anterograde amnesia where there is the inability to form new memories, including of day to day events

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Most people who have a traumatic brain injury experience some level of deficit regarding information processing speed, attention, memory, and executive functioning.  Higher level thinking such as planning, problem solving, inhibition, multi-tasking, and becoming awareness of their own deficits can be a challenge.

 

After a brain injury, a TBI victim might suffer from social anxiety, irritability, anger, depression, feelings of being overwhelmed, general anxiety, mood swings, or emotional lability, teary-ness.

 

Make no mistake: these symptoms can make it seem like they are a different person now, but their personality is intact. It is just buried under the weight of emotional symptoms that are incredibly hard to handle.  This comes from the actual accident, the impact to the brain and the healing process.

 

Additionally, a severe TBI itself can lead medical problem such as seizures and continues pain that must be medicated.

 

Some studies have also suggested that, in the long term, brain may cause degenerative brain diseases like chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) or Alzheimer’s disease or dementia.

 

What are the symptoms of personality changes after a brain injury?

“Any type of brain injury, regardless of severity, can cause personality changes — and some patients may not experience any personality changes at all,” said Dr. Thomas.

 

Do people ever fully recover from a mild to severe TBI?  In short, “not really”.

 

The effects of moderate to severe TBI can be long lasting, even permanent.  While recovery and rehabilitation are possible, most people with moderate to severe TBI face life challenges that will require them to adapt and adjust to a new reality

 

Often patients recover beyond what can even be expected or gauged based on a visual inspection.  Most patients make significant progress, but a complete return to pre-injury ability is rare.

 

In addition to changes in the brain’s processing abilities, brain injury patients may also experience emotional reactions related to the challenges of recovery.  They will have to manage the healing and understanding their ability to perform everyday tasks with this change in their life.

 

“Although personality changes may be noticeable during inpatient brain injury rehabilitation, they often become more pronounced after a patient returns home, spends more time with family and tries to resume normal activities,” said Alphonsa Thomas, D.O., director of Outpatient Clinical Services at Johnson Rehabilitation Institute at Ocean University Medical Center.  Dr. Thomas provides ongoing outpatient care for patients after they are discharged from inpatient brain injury rehabilitation.

 

Dr. Thomas, who specializes in rehabilitation and brain injury medicine, notes that it’s important to remember that no two brain injuries are the same, resulting in both recovery and end results are different for each patient.

“Any type of brain injury, regardless of severity, can cause personality changes, and some patients may not experience any personality changes at all,” said Dr. Thomas.

 

When asked, ‘Can you die from a TBI, years later?’  The short answer is, “yes.“