People who suffer head injuries may face a long road to recovery that can involve many stages. Each stage can take weeks, months, or even years. In some cases, a person may never fully return to how life had been before the injury. In fact, some people may never return to being the person they had been before the injury. That’s because head injuries can affect personality.
Why is your personality affected?
Your brain controls many aspects of your personality. Therefore, damage to a specific area of the brain can affect the aspects of personality controlled by that art of the brain. For example, the frontal lobe manages self-regulation and control. Damage to this area of the brain can make you more impulsive, leading to reckless and dangerous behavior. It can also cause you to speak without thinking first.
TBI and temperament changes
Many people with traumatic brain injuries struggle with anger management regardless of their temperament before the injury. People with traumatic brain injuries may also struggle with managing stress in situations they would have previously handled well. This can lead to breakdowns, tantrums, and other excessive displays of emotion.
Personality changes resulting from a brain injury can be traumatizing both to the injured person and their loved ones. Working with an attorney to secure compensation after such an injury can help families to access the resources they will need to cope and move forward.