People who suffer from brain injuries might have debilitating physical problems and more research is showing that these injuries can also have unsuspecting psychological effects that might not be immediately apparent. Those who have suffered traumatic brain injury might even experience things such as erratic driving.
The members of the U.S. military are coming back from service deployments in war zones, and are now being studied for their driving after deployment. Many of those who come back from war zones are experiencing difficulty driving, which may be linked to their traumatic brain injury. These soldiers are an example of how brain injuries can have devastating long-term effects on people.
Even if a brain injury isn’t the result of fighting in a war, it could still have a similar effect on a person. Those who suffer from brain injuries often have to struggle even with the smallest tasks. Sometimes brain injuries could be the result of a car accident, work related injury or even medical malpractice.
Some symptoms of traumatic brain injury might take years to see, while other symptoms are immediately apparent. A brain injury might also go undiagnosed. A brain injury doesn’t necessarily have to result from an obvious physical bodily injury. It could be the result of hitting your head hard, without doing any visible damage to your body.
Those who have suffered from a brain injury will likely need a lifetime of assistance in some form. It would be anything from constant supervision to just driving and calming anxiety associated with once familiar tasks. Either way, it is important to seek help if you or someone you know has suffered from a brain injury.
Source: New York Times, “Back From War, Fear and Danger Fill Driver’s Seat,” James Dao, Jan. 10, 2012
