How do TBIs impact personality?

On Behalf of | Apr 21, 2022 | Personal Injury |

After suffering from a blow to the head, it is important to seek immediate medical attention. It is difficult to tell exactly how serious a head injury is from a non-medical perspective, after all.

In particular, traumatic brain injuries (TBIs) have a big chance of affecting different parts of a victim’s life, especially without proper treatment. TBIs can even impact a victim’s entire personality.

Temperament and impulse

The CDC Injury Center discusses the impact of TBIs. These injuries can and often do affect a victim’s behaviors, emotions, personality, physical mobility and general ability to live their life like normal.

In some instances, personality may end up affected in surprising or unexpected ways. This is particularly true of injuries that affect the frontal lobe, which stores the center for impulse control. With a damaged ability to control impulses, victims will often struggle with acting or saying things before thinking.

Many also struggle with an increase in temper and a loss of control over their anger. The general temperament of these victims may switch as well, with many struggling to control their irritation, annoyance and other negative emotions. This can result in victims lashing out at others around them, including loved ones.

Coping with stress

Some also struggle with the ability to cope with stressors, too, becoming much more anxious and nervous people because of it. Some even experience emotional breakdowns over relatively minor sources of stress, which serves as a troubling problem for loved ones and even employers, especially if these breakdowns occur at a victim’s job.

In general, a person’s personality can grow unrecognizable to varying degrees after a TBI, and this is important for victims and their loved ones to know and understand.