How Do Brain Injuries Affect Personality?

When suffering from a traumatic brain injury, it is possible for a victim to end up affected in numerous ways. Some of these ways come as a surprise to just about everyone.

This includes impacts and changes to the victim’s personality. Just how and why do traumatic brain injuries (TBI) affect such a thing?

How do these changes happen?

Medline Plus discusses traumatic brain injuries and how they impact individuals. Generally speaking, TBIs cause moderate to severe damage in the brain that takes anywhere from months to years for a victim to fully recover. In some cases, the changes that occur due to a TBI will never fully revert to the state the victim had before the injury.

Changes to personality often happen with injuries to the frontal lobe in particular. This area of the brain regulates things like impulse control and temper. When it suffers damage, the victim often becomes more aggressive, temperamental and prone to violence or angry outbursts.

The loved ones of victims often say this is one of the hardest parts about dealing with TBIs. Even the victim could suffer from feeling as though they no longer recognize themselves, which can lead to identity struggles on top of everything else.

Living with personality alterations

Over time, the changes wrought by a TBI will likely fade or even vanish entirely. However, some people have to deal with these changes for the rest of their lives, which can create an enormous barrier between themselves and their loved ones. It is a serious impact that could even ruin lives, making it an important thing for victims and their loved ones to understand.