I was wondering today what the role of head injuries plays in depression. I know it is not a cause or at least I do not think it is but I wonder if it plays a part. I figure the brain is such a fragile instrument that it must be effective.
1. When I was around two years old I was hit by a metal pipe over the head, hard enough to require a few dozen stiches.
2. When I was nine I was hit in the head by a garage door, my mom tried to warn me but it did not help. Remember stars and dizziness.
3. When I was eighteen I was lying down on the backseat of a minivan asleep when some old driver did a u-turn and hit the side of our van. My head went up and came down catching a corner of the ice cooler that was on the floor in front of me. I should have seen a doctor but we were in the states and I heard how expensive US hospitals were so I said no. I have a dent in my skull from that one.
4. When I was twenty I was skateboarding and I did a trick that handed me landing towards my back (180) and I hit a rock or something and fell straight backwards landing on the back of my head. This one knocked me unconcious and I was sick for the next few days.
Misc. I have been knocked out while snowboarding at least four times. One was a missed backflip onto ice.
Over the years my head has taken a beating. I have had CAT scans done because of sunstroke and nasty sinuses and they have always come back clear so that is a good thing. I wear my hair very short especially in the summer as I have an allergy with the sun and heat, but the back of my head has numerous scars, a lot more than I can account for. Anyway I decided to throw that out there and see how others view the head injury and depression connection
take care
trg247
__________________
Major Depressive Disorder With Psychotic Features
Post Traumatic Stress Disorder
Borderline Personality Disorder
Generalized Anxiety Disorder
You have asked a very good question and have often wondered if my head injuries might not have triggered the Bipolar in some fashion. I hit my head on the concrete porch of my grandparents house. I have no recollection of the injury since I was young then other then what they told me about it later on. My eyes were both blackened and my head was swollen massively. My father said I went there a happy outgoing child and came back withdrawn and quiet and was that way ever after that. I know in later years the couple of hits with a fire extinguisher didn't help. The cat scan they did after the fire extinguisher thingy came out clear but it in the end makes you wonder if the damage by then from the initial concrete porch hadn't already been done. Meaning that the injury maybe flipped a switch or something like that. DOn't know it will be interesting to see what others think.
I read a study that Head injuries, especially those that were accompanied by unconciousness can cause Major Depressive disorders, even decades later.
Maybe you're on to something!
NVD
trg 247,hello so sorry to hear your sad news but i suppose i can help relate to this my friend got hit on the head with a full a full beer bottle at his front door he now has brain problems deppression through the fact he carnt remember that night it happend and they the hospital said he had short term amnesia and brain memorie will come and go with lake of concentration well my heart goes out to you all the best your not alone pam 83.
Trg, they just released a study of football players with numerous head injuries and the study showed that more head injuries correlates with depression. It came up in the news a few months back when that football player died, Andre something. But like that man in the movie "A Beautiful Mind", he learned to work with his mind.
I wonder why my psych doctor did not ask about any head trauma, besides the fact he is a moron. The brain is such a big blank when it comes to knowledge in how it works. Lots of theories little proof. I remember reading a story about this really nice guy, pillar in his community and so forth. Anyway he started to change mentally became really rude and obnoxious and ended up killing his wife. Lawyer asked for a cat scan and they found a tumor so of course this was his defense. The problem was it could not be proven whether or not this would have caused his outlandish behavior. Kind of makes you think
take care
trg247
__________________
Major Depressive Disorder With Psychotic Features
Post Traumatic Stress Disorder
Borderline Personality Disorder
Generalized Anxiety Disorder
i'm so tired tonight, and i haven't had time to do any research about your questions today because work took my whole time and energy. i got home about a quarter to 7pm; i ate something, and tried to relax a little, but then my mom called and i had to go pick her up from my dad's nursing home....
anyway, i believe that what you and the other posters mentioned has much truth to it. i have a client who suffers from traumatic brain injury--well her diagnosis is "psychotic disorder NOS associated with traumatic brain injury" (like the doc couldn't find a longer title!!!). she seems to have had a fall when she was little, and she is now quite 'disabled' to say the least. at one point in time--and this lasted for years--she was even placed on zyprexa, because of aggressive and violent behavior and--as past records show--due to possible hallucinations. her parents said that before that fall she was a normal child, able to speak, acted normally and so forth. after the fall, when she hit her head hard on the cement floor, she became completely different, stopped speaking, withdrew imensely into herself, and needed complete care. she continued this way as a child and into adulthood. she is now on lexapro, but they've recently discontinued her zyprexa. i actually had to advocate for her so they would d/c the damn zyprexa, since the poor woman is completely "out of it" anyway, and she hasn't been showing any kind of aggressive or violent behavior for years now. it just ****** me off that nobody even bothered to take a look at her charts and realize she was taking medications that she DID not need!!!! anyway, i am positive that brain injury and brain trauma definitely have an impact on a person's behavior, thoughts, feelings, and even personality. and--it can last throughout the person's life, if the injury is of a certain magnitude. i am sure that the lexapro makes the extreme withdrawal a bit more "manageable" so that she is able to be around people and to smile on occasion. but i guess this is an extreme case here. i don't know about sustaining head injuries as an adult and the impact that would have on depression and mental health. like i said, i must research that. but, the other posters have it right, when they mentioned those stories about football players and the like....
i hope all good things for you ,T. we're here for you. don't ever think you're alone!!!!
__________________
Be kinder than necessary,
Because everyone you meet is fighting some kind of battle...
hey sannah--i LOVED "A Beautiful Mind"--it's one of my favorite movies!!!!. i actually cried.... and to know he's still alive and still battling those thoughts.
wow. T--you ARE battling those thoughts too!!!!
__________________
Be kinder than necessary,
Because everyone you meet is fighting some kind of battle...
Dakota, I loved that movie too. I looked some stuff up on it and read that this guy never really had visual hallucinations like the movie showed, it just made a good movie. I can't remember what his auditory hallucinations were.
trg 247,hello so sorry to hear your sad news but i suppose i can help relate to this my friend got hit on the head with a full a full beer bottle at his front door he now has brain problems deppression through the fact he carnt remember that night it happend and they the hospital said he had short term amnesia and brain memorie will come and go with lake of concentration well my heart goes out to you all the best your not alone pam 83.
NVD HELLO,
i can understand your confussion about deppression brought on by a blow to the head-but mt experience with a chap i care for his depression was brought on through the blow to his head i went and still am going through this with him,wishing you warm wishes Pam 83.
trg 247,hello so sorry to hear your sad news but i suppose i can help relate to this my friend got hit on the head with a full a full beer bottle at his front door he now has brain problems deppression through the fact he carnt remember that night it happend and they the hospital said he had short term amnesia and brain memorie will come and go with lake of concentration well my heart goes out to you all the best your not alone pam 83.
NVD HELLO,
i can understand your confussion about deppression brought on by a blow to the head-but mt experience with a chap i care for his depression was brought on through the blow to his head i went and still am going through this with him,wishing you warm wishes Pam 83.
Hi Pam, I'm really not understanding this post. I looked back to my one original post on this thread...and I don't think I said anything conflicting with this. I DO believe that head trauma can cause emotional issues...and as I said in the post, even decades later. Am I missing something here??? Did I sound confused here?? Original Post
Quote:
I read a study that Head injuries, especially those that were accompanied by unconciousness can cause Major Depressive disorders, even decades later.
Maybe you're on to something!
NVD
Hello nvd,
sorry if i caused you any confussion as iam only starting out here,but i will learn so sad that depression can carry on for decades i shall pray for a miricale certainly hope all is well for you thank you for your reply,i havnt worked out how to find were to read replys haha but your my first post kind thoughts pam 83
hello trg,
yes it certainly makes one wonder the extent of damage that the brain actually takes,the sad reality is the long term damage that effects our every day life positive mind i believe is so very important
pam 83.
Hello nvd,
sorry if i caused you any confussion as iam only starting out here,but i will learn so sad that depression can carry on for decades i shall pray for a miricale certainly hope all is well for you thank you for your reply,i havnt worked out how to find were to read replys haha but your my first post kind thoughts pam 83
Hey Pam, No appologies needed! I just didn't understand it, that's all. I hope you're doing well, and welcome to the board!
Amber
hi Amber,
thanks now i feel better i hope all is well for you?starting to get the hang of this slowly but everything in life takes time hay?thank you for your welcomming me to the board
cheers pam 83.
Re: Head Injuries 
Re: Head Injuries 
