What Are the Long-Term Effects of Brain Injury?
Recovery from a minor brain injury, such as a concussion, usually takes a short period of time (3 to 6 months), and the recovery often is complete. For more serious injuries, degrees of recovery vary. Factors that predict good recovery are the patient’s age (younger is better), duration of coma (longer is worse), presence of bleeding in the brain, and the site and amount of trauma to the head and brain. Patients who survive severe brain injury often face a long recovery process (years) and are left with permanent disabilities. Rehabilitation programs help patients regain their cognitive and emotional faculties. During the rehabilitation process, it is common for patients to have lapses of memory, behavioral changes, emotional problems such as anxiety or depression, changes in sleep patterns, declines in intellectual ability, and seizures. Psychological counseling and brain injury support groups are available to help patients and families deal with the long-term rehabilitation process.
