Does a brain injury change your personality

A brain injury can have a significant impact on a person’s cognitive abilities, depending on the severity of the injury and what part of the brain was affected. This can lead to changes in a person’s behaviour that in some cases may seem to result in a noticeable change to their personality. If you ever unfortunately have a friend or relative that sustains a head injury affecting their brain, you’ll more than likely want to get in touch with attorneys in Jonesboro AR for example or a local law firm to you.

These cognitive issues can be short-lived or more lasting and can vary from minor changes to major issues that need to be carefully managed. The good news is that these effects can often be reduced or their impact moderated with the right rehabilitation care.

If you or a loved one have suffered a brain injury and this seems to be having an impact or your or their personality, the following information should be able to give you some idea of what to look out for and what you can do to help cope with behavioural changes due to a brain injury.

What effect does a brain injury have on your personality?

There are various mental effects that a brain injury can have, including causing a patient to suffer from amnesia, confusion, issues with concentration and difficulty recognising people. However, these are not normally perceived as resulting in a change of personality.

There are a number of other cognitive issues, however, which may seem to have a noticeable effect on a person’s behaviour and therefore their and other people’s perception of their personality.

Issues commonly experienced by brain injury patients that may be considered changes to their personality include:

A tendency to become anxious
Loss of empathy i.e. the ability to see things from other people’s point of view
Loss of inhibitions
Impulsiveness
Obsessive behaviour
Irritability
Aggression
Apathy
Self-centredness
Mood swings

Coping with behavioural changes due to a brain injury

It is understandable to be frustrated or upset if you feel your personality (or the personality of a loved one) has changed following a brain injury. It is important to understand that these changes are not the person’s fault and that many of these issues may be short-lived. However, it is also necessary to accept that some of these changes may be permanent and you will have to learn to manage these on-going effects.

Having the right professional care and support can give you a better chance of recovering as well as helping you to develop strategies to deal with any lasting behaviour issues you experience as the result of a brain injury. Unfortunately, accessing the care you need often means paying for at least some services privately, as well as covering travel costs, paying for care workers, replacing lost earnings if you have to take time off or give up work, and various other expenses.

Covering these types of costs is one of the reasons many people choose to pursue brain injury compensation with the support of a brain injury solicitor. These sorts of claims can often be started on a no win, no fee basis, meaning there is no financial risk to you, while the potential funds unlocked can make a significant difference to your recovery and quality of life.

Thanks to Wendy Manning