Brain injuries are often life-changing. These internal wounds not only cause significant pain but can also leave you with lasting daily challenges. Depending on the severity of the injury and the part of the brain it impacts, you may experience personality changes that affect your moods, career, and relationships with family members.
If you were in an accident that resulted in a brain injury, you should know what to expect during the immediate aftermath and throughout the long-term recovery process. Learn more about types of brain injuries that can cause personality changes, how and why brain injuries cause personality changes, and what your legal options may be to address your losses.
Common Types of Brain Injuries That Can Cause Personality Changes
Many types of brain injuries can result in personality changes—here are some of the most common examples:
Concussions are the mildest type of brain injury. They occur if an external force causes the brain to shift in the skull, damaging nerves, nerve fibers, and blood vessels. The symptoms of a concussion tend to resolve within a few days, but some people may experience lingering effects. Personality changes, along with depression, may remain for days or weeks.
Subdural hematomas have the potential to cause aggression and emotional volatility. These injuries occur when blood collects on the surface of the brain, putting pressure on critical areas. Symptoms may include balance problems, memory loss, and personality changes.
Another condition that can lead to personality changes is chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE). CTE can develop in people who have suffered multiple traumatic brain injuries over their lifetime or who have sustained a few of these wounds in close succession. It is associated with permanent mood and behavioral changes.
Diffuse axonal injuries (DAIs) can also lead to changes in personality. A DAI occurs when axons (long nerve fibers) stretch and tear because the brain twists or rotates rapidly. This type of injury causes widespread brain damage, impacting cognitive function and mood regulation.
Why and How Brain Injuries Cause Personality Changes
Personality changes after a brain injury can occur for several reasons, depending on the nature and extent of the brain injury.
Impact on Neurotransmitters
Brain injuries, no matter how mild they may appear, affect neurotransmitters. After the initial impact, the injury may lead to imbalances that result in further cell death.
At the moment that the injury occurs, your body releases a flood of excitatory chemicals, including glutamate. This results in the overstimulation of neurons and could increase your chances of experiencing personality changes.
Damage to Neurovascular Coupling
Catastrophic injuries to the brain disrupt neurovascular coupling, which means that neurons and blood vessels can become disconnected. This makes it more difficult to process information and respond appropriately to situations.
Frontal Lobe Damage
The different areas of your brain have unique functions. Your frontal lobe is responsible for reasoning, executive function, and impulse control. If you suffer a brain injury that impacts your frontal lobe, you are more likely to experience personality changes, including impulsive behavior and problems with emotional regulation.
An injury to the frontal lobe or the limbic system can cause heightened irritability, intense mood swings, and increased aggression in someone who was previously even-tempered.
Disruption of Emotional and Social Processing
A brain injury can damage the connection between your limbic system and cerebral cortex. This makes it hard for you to clearly evaluate your emotional responses. You might react inappropriately or find it difficult to recognize others’ emotions. Some people experience less empathy after a brain injury.
Memory and Perception Changes
An injury to your hippocampus can make it harder for your brain to convert short-term memories into long-term ones. Memories influence how you respond to your environment, so any disruption of this function can lead to behavioral and emotional changes.
Emotional Trauma
Being in a car accident, slip and fall incident, or any other event that causes a brain injury can be emotionally traumatic beyond the physical effects. It’s not uncommon to develop anxiety and depression after a serious injury.
Pursuing Compensation for a Brain Injury
A brain injury can impact all aspects of your life. It can require extensive medical care and, if you experience personality changes, could affect your relationships with your loved ones. If the injury occurred because of another party’s negligent or wrongful conduct, it may be possible to file a personal injury claim to receive compensation.
To succeed, you will have to prove that the other party owed you a duty of care that they breached, which caused your injuries. If you are successful, you may be able to recover economic and non-economic damages from the responsible party. This money can compensate you for any of your financial and personal losses related to your injuries.
For example, you may be entitled to economic damages to cover things like hospital stays, rehabilitation sessions, medications, or other costs related to your treatment. If you miss work or can no longer work due to your injuries, you could be compensated for your lost wages and reduced future earning potential. Out-of-pocket expenses also fall into this category.
Additionally, a brain injury that has altered your personality could also result in non-economic damages for your more personal, subjective losses. Compensation for these losses would address the physical and emotional distress you experienced, as well as your loss of enjoyment of life.
Contact Our Jacksonville Brain Injury Lawyers at Baggett Law Personal Injury Lawyers for a Free Consultation
After sustaining a brain injury that causes you to experience personality changes, your next step could be filing a personal injury claim. This is not something that you should pursue without legal representation, especially after a life-changing injury.
With assistance from a Jacksonville brain injury attorney from Baggett Law Personal Injury Lawyers, it can be easier to focus on healing. Your attorney can take care of the legal side and fight for the compensation you deserve. Contact us today to schedule a complimentary consultation with a member of our team and get started.
We serve Duval County, St. Johns County, and its surrounding areas:
Baggett Law Personal Injury Lawyers – Jacksonville
9471 Baymeadows Rd #105,
Jacksonville, FL 32256
(904) 396-1100
Baggett Law Personal Injury Lawyers – Downtown Jacksonville
121 W Forsyth St Suite 1000,
Jacksonville, FL 32202
(904) 822-4225
Baggett Law Personal Injury Lawyers – Ponte Vedra
480 Town Plaza Ave #130,
Ponte Vedra Beach, FL 32081
(904) 675-1167
