Brain injury and mental health are often seen and treated as two entirely separate diagnoses, or sometimes confused as being the same thing. However, both can be true; brain injury is sometimes an entirely separate issue to mental health, whereas other times brain injury can lead to mental health issues developing.
The basic definition of brain damage is an injury to the brain caused by various conditions such as head trauma, inadequate oxygen supply, infections, or intracranial hemorrhage. This damage may be associated with a behavioral or functional abnormality. The brain can be damaged in many ways and severity.
Most scientists believe that mental illnesses result from problems with the communication between neurons in the brain (neurotransmission). For example, the level of the neurotransmitter serotonin is lower in individuals who have depression. This finding led to the development of certain medications for the illness.
Cognitive, behavioral or mental symptoms
Loss of consciousness for a few seconds to a few minutes. No loss of consciousness, but a state of being dazed, confused or disoriented. Memory or concentration problems. Mood changes or mood swings. Feeling depressed or anxious.
Long-term Effects of Mental Illness on the Body
It can weaken your immune system and make it harder for your body to prevent infections. Chronic physical conditions. Untreated mental health disorders have been linked to physical ailments. This is not a surprise, as the brain and body are so closely related.
There's no cure for mental illness, but there are lots of effective treatments. People with mental illnesses can recover and live long and healthy lives.
Most people with mental health problems can get better. Treatment and recovery are ongoing processes that happen over time.
Depression may result from injury to the areas of the brain that control emotions. Changes in the levels of certain natural chemicals in the brain, called neurotransmitters, can cause depression.
Can the brain heal after being injured? Most studies suggest that once brain cells are destroyed or damaged, for the most part, they do not regenerate. However, recovery after brain injury can take place, especially in younger people, as, in some cases, other areas of the brain make up for the injured tissue.
While damage to the brain following a traumatic brain injury is permanent because damaged brain cells cannot regenerate or repair themselves, there is hope for functional recovery. This is because functions affected by TBI may be rewired and improved by healthy brain cells.
childhood abuse, trauma, or neglect. social isolation or loneliness. experiencing discrimination and stigma, including racism. social disadvantage, poverty or debt.
Confused thinking or reduced ability to concentrate. Excessive fears or worries, or extreme feelings of guilt. Extreme mood changes of highs and lows. Withdrawal from friends and activities.
Untreated mental health conditions can result in unnecessary disability, unemployment, substance abuse, homelessness, inappropriate incarceration, and suicide, and poor quality of life.
According to recent studies, Emotional Trauma and PTSD do cause both brain and physical damage. Neuropathologists have seen overlapping effects of physical and emotional trauma upon the brain.
A concussion, sometimes called a mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI), is the most common type of brain injury, accounting for hundreds of thousands of emergency room visits each year.
“The brain's ability to repair or replace itself is not limited to just two areas. Instead, when an adult brain cell of the cortex is injured, it reverts (at a transcriptional level) to an embryonic cortical neuron.
A new study has found that many people with moderate to severe traumatic brain injury (msTBI) achieve favorable outcomes over the course of their first year of recovery, moving from a deep coma to being able to live independently for at least eight hours per day within a year.
Despite initial hospitalization and inpatient rehabilitation services, about 50% of people with TBI will experience further decline in their daily lives or die within 5 years of their injury. Some of the health consequences of TBI can be prevented or reduced.
“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. For patients who do experience personality changes, common symptoms include: Becoming quick to anger or frustration.
In fact, we do know from scientific research and the burgeoning field of epigenetics that most of what we call “mental illnesses” are really injuries and not just post-traumatic ones, but chronic and repeated complex trauma.
”My review shows that a depression leaves its mark on the brain as it results in a ten percent reduction of the hippocampus,” he says. ”In some cases, this reduction continues when the depression itself is over.”
The main subcortical limbic brain regions implicated in depression are the amygdala, hippocampus, and the dorsomedial thalamus. Both structural and functional abnormalities in these areas have been found in depression. Decreased hippocampal volumes (10, 25) have been noted in subjects with depression.
According to the World Health Organization, people with severe mental health disorders have a 10–25-year reduction in life expectancy. Schizophrenia mortality rates are between 2 and 2.5 times those in the general population, while individuals with depression have a 1.8 times higher risk of premature mortality.
According to the National Institute on Mental Health, nearly one-in-five adults live with a mental illness. A mental illness that interferes with a person's life and ability to function is called a serious mental illness (SMI). With the right treatment, people with SMI can live productive and enjoyable lives.
SMI includes major depression, schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD), panic disorder, post traumatic stress (PTSD) and borderline personality disorder (VA).