Depression After Brain Injury

My friend was hit by a car in Nov of 2022. She has a brain injury but is improving. The problem is that she will ask her husband what is wrong with her and he explains it to her. Afterward, she forgets again, she has short and long-memory loss and they don't know if it's permanent. She gets really sad when she can't remember things. Is there some activity that her husband can do with her to get her out of the sadness? I suggested that he get a joke book and since she has to think of an answer to the joke, she will forget she is sad and it will also keep her brain active.

Can anyone recommend a doctor in the VA/DC area - son had a major TBI several years ago and has been dealing with major depression. Have been to several Psychologists/Psychiatrists with no luck so far. Thanks in advance.

I had a severe concussion one month ago while bike riding. I think my front tire blew and I went down, with my face hitting the ground.( I can't be positive, but that seems the most probable scenario) I was knocked unconscious, and wound up in the hospital where I spent then next three days. I have no memory of the accident at all, not even the instance before I hit the ground.
While my physical injuries have healed, I've been carrying on this constant depression. It's difficult to explain. One thing I'm sure of is that I've been having flashbacks to two concussions I had as a teenager, which were absolutely horrible.
I saw my neurologist two weeks ago. I like him very much, however, neurology is such an inexact science, that I have this fear that Nothing is going to help me, and I'm going to have to deal with this depression by myself. I feel so all alone.

My 13 year old daughter was knocked unconscious at school this fall when she ran into a wall. I took her to the ER where they did a CT and held her for observation. She drifted in and out of sleep for several hours until they released her. She saw a pediatric neurologist the following day and started a post concussion syndrome treatment protocol. She missed several weeks of school, but seemed to recover well.

It's been six months since her injury, and my sweet, funny, smart, organized and energetic teenager is a dark shadow of her former self. She is deeply depressed, has gained at least 20 pounds, has sores on her face from picking at her skin, and is miserable. She is seeing a psychiatrist who has prescribed her antidepressants, and knows about her concussion. But so far there hasn't been any improvement. I'm going to schedule a follow up with her neurologist, who she hasn't seen in 3 months.

I'm at a loss though, and scared for her. I don't know what to do for her, or how to help her. She's written suicide notes, and only wants to stay in bed. I'm sure her depression is related to her injury. Please tell me that she will get better?

Thank you all for sharing your stories its helpful to know I'm not alone with these issues... although it certainly feels that way sometimes. in 2011 I suffered a TBI playing college football. Doctors told me symptoms would go away within 2-3 weeks, welp they are still here 7 years later. I suffer from daily headaches/migraines, fatigue, and what I believe to be tbi induced depression and anxiety.

In high school I was your alpha male jock type, captain of the football lacrosse team etc. Following the concussion I was told I could never play contact sports again. the TBI took away what mattered most to me/and that was just the beginning. I suffered through anxiety and depression and struggled socially through college - something I had never experienced before. I constantly wondered what was wrong with me - I felt like I lost my edge, was always a second or two behind.

With nothing to focus on athletically I turned to academics. I worked my ass off/got a graduate degree/completed some professional certifications and am now a 25 year old working on Wall Street and living in Manhattan, which had always been my dream. Unfortunately 60 hours of intense/stressful computer work doesn't lend itself well to someone with pcs/tbi. I live in a constant loop of headache pain, barely sucking it up through the week only to crash on the weekend (sleeping 12-15s a day sat/sun). My head hurts every second of everyday. I still find myself struggling socially and on Wall Street you get picked apart for that kind of thing. I am resilient so I put my head down and work hard/fighting through the pain because I made a commitment to myself never to let this injury effect what I wanted to accomplish in life. Every day is a struggle though.

I feel like I let my family/friends down with who I have become after tbi. I am no longer the energetic/witty guy they remember although I try my best to be. I am almost ashamed, wondering at what point they are going to realize I changed and for the worst. I don't know who to go to or who to talk to. As you guys know doctors don't help. Ive seen so many and spend so much of my HARD earned money trying to find a treatment that would help but no dice.

Its a glim story but if your reading this and going through something similar, just know that no matter how dim it gets I will never give up. I will wake up every single day, put my suit on through my headache, and show up to work and grind. I will accomplish everything I set out to accomplish and be who I am supposed to become. I will NOT let this injury stop me. And I hope you don't either.

I was riding my bicycle when I had my accident. I was wearing a helmet and a truck went by me. As I moved off to the side of the road I hit a patch of sand and lost control of the front wheel. I landed on my head and and shoulder and I blacked out briefly. When I came to everything was spinning and my head hurt so badly. I had never had a brain injury before and I thought I would just get better so I woke up for work the next day like everything was normal. I worked through the pain and probably made things worse for myself but, like I said, I had never had a brain injury before and didn't realize then extent of my injuries since the rest of my body was fine. Nothing has been the same since. My moods are constantly changing and negative most of the time. I have to zone everything else out and keep things organized in my life or I feel like I go crazy. My job required many last minute changes and was high pressure. I used to be able to handle all of those things rather well but i'm so much less mentally resilient at this point. I had to resign my position because I could not deal with the stress of it anymore. I am a completely different person since my TBI and I feel badly for my family. Everyday is a struggle and I'm trying to cope as best I can. My wife is very supportive and I have to keep in mind that I have limitations for what I can handle that I didn't have before. It's hard but my wife is making up for my new situation.

Thanks to everyone who shared their comments; the information really helped me today. I was in a car accident in March, 2018, and I am recovering from a concussion and whiplash. My depression started about a month ago and I am experiencing so many of the same issues that others are describing. It helps to know that this is not unique to me, and somehow makes it more manageable. For those who are struggling more than I am, I will keep you in my thoughts and send my best hopes and energy to you !

I feel really depressed a year after my TBI and quite upset about not getting back to normal. Fed up with neurologist just giving me pills and saying to rest

Hi all, I am Glori. I was in a car accident in 01/2016 where the rental truck I was in was rear ended, the person that hit us had to be going at least 50 to 60 miles per hour, his hatchback totaled my rental truck. Immediately I noticed a change in me, I felt trickle of warm fluid go down the back side of my head, I went to neurologist and through all types of testing, was diagnosed with a mild brain injury. Everyday I feel not the same as who I was, and it does make me feel like I don’t belong in the world often, the mood changes, irritability, edgeyness is consuming to me, like I am constantly absent minded, in constant cauos, the total opposite of who I was.....as the gentleman said I have to have everything highly organized because if not, my day will go south, and I feel like havoc when that happens. I definitely don’t like plans changing on me with out me making peace with the plans and organizing every aspect of what I need to do for it to go well. I thank God for saving me and my now husband that day, we both could have been gone, but we are not. Thank you Lord. I now take part in a brain injury program that I have come to appreciate having, I feel heard, and more importantly I am certain that I will share how I feel until I get the help I need. I have psuedobarber effect, and when i sit at street lights I feel like I am drifting backwards, I also stray away from socializing for fear of someone noticing my memory and word finding problems, I often feel depressed and oddly excited at times. While I know that my life has changed for ever I look at the positive everyday, I get up and try all over, knowing my limitations helps me to be a much better planner than I ever was. I wanted to thank everyone for sharing, sometimes I feel all alone with how I feel because I’m the one thinking the way I do know, but I thank God everyday, and before I go to sleep I thank him for letting me get through the day. God bless and much love

Hit by car at age 7. TBI along with a few other things.
Age 61 now. Have never been so called normal. I could always see a difference in the way I handled life situations. Dealt with stressful situations. Never really cared for group situations. I believe due to sensory overload.
But I do have to say this.
I am grateful to God for looking out for a nobody like me.
I have my own small business.
Which I can manipulate my days if Im having a hard one.
I learned I have to have everything in order or planned out. I don't handle uncertainty well. I have to know what I am getting into.
The more I learn what makes me tick. The better life gets.
Hang in there.
God has your back.

I already had a diagnosis of PTSD, ADHD, among other issues prior to my severe TBI 3-4 years ago. I was in a motorcycle accident. They literally sewed my brain back into my skull. I was in a coma. I had brain drains, was on an IV, and was processing through a catheter when I regained consciousness. The depression I have been experiencing has been debilitating at the least.....My freinds tell me constantly how well I'm doing. They don't see the deficits I'm experiencing. Having constant thoughts of how much better the world would be without me don't help.....My personality has changed. My logic process has changed. I can't seem to get anything accomplished. My sleep schedule and patterns are non existent. No "body clock" at all. Here I am at 0403 in the morning seeking knowledge and some resolution to a very challenging and difficult existence. Any help would be appreciated. The EMT that helped save my life came to see me. He told me how thankful and glad
he was that I lived. I'm trying to share in his enthusiasm.....
I believe that we are created to be overcomers.... I'd sure like to see the evidence of that today. Feeling like I'm grasping at straws is no way to continue. I'm willing to do the work....I just don't know where to start.

Whatever improvement I experienced after my TBI was within the first year or two, since then with limited legal and health insurance resources things have been going steadily downhill. The worst part was being prescribed addictive meds that made things worse by so called professional MD PhD's. 

What do you do when the medications have made you unwell, and there is no longer any trust in Doctors? I was nearly killed by a neuroscientist pulling me off an ssri way too fast. They are known for increasing suicide and that's all over the press these days.  I got better with a herbalist - unfortunatately other people got me off those herbs and I went back to square one.

Herbs should be used from the word go, and not these hellish chemicals that make other's huge profits. Psychiatry joined at the wallet with big pharmer.