Researchers at the University of Washington School of Medicine, Seattle, looked at 559 adults with mild to severe traumatic brain injury (TBI). Their results showed that in the first year after TBI, 297 patients suffered from a major depressive disorder (MDD). The TBI patients studied were mostly male who suffered head trauma in car crashes. Researchers noted that TBI patients have a risk of MDD throughout the first year after injury. In addition, the risk of MDD lasts beyond that one year.
The doctors published their study in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA). The results have a profound effect on war veterans, which is a large population of TBI patients. A TBI patient with MDD is at a high risk of suicide. Moreover, patients who experience MDD in addition to TBI will have significantly higher medical expenses for their treatment. Doctors do not know of any reliable predictors of MDD in TBI patients. People who suffer from MDD will experience poor cognitive function, aggression, anxiety and functional disability.
The researchers added that making depression screening a routine part of TBI could help identify symptoms early on after injury. Combining mental health services with TBI treatment could improve the lives of patients for the long term.
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