A brain injury caused by a car accident can change a person’s life. Even after extensive physical and mental therapy involving having to relearn simple tasks such as walking and speaking, the victim is still not the same. It is a life long struggle that could cause feelings of social alienation and severe depression as a new study shows.

The study tested major depression among 559 people with traumatic brain injury and found that their risk was nearly eight times greater than would be expected in the general population, the researchers report in the May 19th issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA).

With some shocking results, the study showed that just over half of patients recovering from a traumatic brain injury (53.1%) developed major depression within a year, a single-center study showed. That’s about 7.9 times higher than the 6.7% expected in the general population and higher than previous estimates of 12% to 42% for patients with traumatic brain injury, according to Charles Bombardier, PhD, of Harborview Medical Center and the University of Washington in Seattle, and colleagues.

“Because of the methodology that they used and how well they controlled a lot of the extraneous variables in the study, it really helps us be very confident that this is an accurate rate of major depression in this population,” said Joseph Fink, PhD, a neuropsychologist at the University of Chicago who was not involved in the study.

Traumatic Brain Injury

Heath organizations have estimated that as many as three million Americans are living with a traumatic brain injury. This is defined as a sudden violent blow to the head or penetrating wound that affects normal brain function.

The most common cause is of traumatic brain injuries due to automobile accidents. Traumatic brain injury is also a “signature injury among wounded soldiers,” the investigators note.

Treatment for traumatic brain injury normally focuses on the injury and its effect on a person’s ability to think clearly. Dr. Jesse R. Fann from the University of Washington School of Medicine in Seattle and one the study’s principal investigators and colleagues wanted to clarify how often severe depression develops after a major traumatic brain injury and if it affects recovery.

There were 1,080 brain injury patients admitted to one trauma center in Seattle. In the study period of June 2001 and March 2005, 559 agreed to participate in the study and researchers followed their progress for 12 months. Study participants were mostly men injured in automobile accidents.

Depression Caused by Brain Injury

Major depression was associated with increased anxiety, poorer self-reported health and lower quality of life. The investigators urge making mental health services part of the normal care of patients with a traumatic brain injury.

Major depression was diagnosed using the Patient Health Questionnaire depression and anxiety module at each assessment. The European Quality of Life measure was used at the one-year assessment. In the current study, only 44 percent of those with major depression received antidepressants or counseling.

Overall, 15.7% of the patients were depressed at the time of injury and another 26.8% had been depressed in the past but not at the time of injury. Women had a greater risk of major depression in an analysis that excluded patients who were depressed at the time of the injury.

Because major depression after traumatic brain injury “is an invisible disorder within an often invisible injury, aggressive efforts are needed” to educate doctors, promote detection and treat patients where warranted, the researchers conclude.

Brain Injury Lawyer

As with any study there were some limitations including the use of a less-traditional tool for diagnosing major depression. Another factor was their use of patients at a single center that has high proportions of Medicaid patients and limited ethnic/racial diversity. Other considerations are the low recruitment rate, and the limited correlation to findings in patients with uncomplicated mild traumatic brain injury, who make up the majority of the brain injury patients.

The director of psychology at the Rusk Institute of Rehabilitation Medicine in New York City, Mary Hibbard, says that the study underscores how important it is for patients to be screened and treated for depression following a brain injury.

“Brain injury is a lifelong issue,” she said. “Individuals with brain injury remain at risk for development of depression at any point after injury, so a periodic, routine screening every six months should be a standard of care.”

It is important that the victims of brain injuries due to car accidents find experienced representation with a proven record of success dealing with complicated personal injury cases. Call Phillips Webster today for your free consultation and to review your legal options so that you can receive the compensation you deserve.

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