Georgia Injury Law Blog
Traumatic brain injury of the kind that is often sustained in car accidents, trucking accident as well as slip and fall accidents is linked to several health consequences, including mental health symptoms like depression. A new study finds that women may be at a much higher risk of suffering depression after a traumatic brain injury, compared to men.
Researchers recently analyzed 9 studies on traumatic brain injury and related depression, and found that women had a risk of suffering depression after a personal injury that was as much as 50% higher than the risk for men. The analysis focused on more than 700,000 people who suffered a traumatic brain injury, including more than 360,000 women. Out of these, approximately 29% or 104,000 women reported depression after the injury. In contrast, 332,000 men suffered a brain injury in the study, and out of these, 72,000 or 22% reported depression in the months after the injury.
The researchers have been unable to speculate about the reasons for this difference between men and women, but the fact is that women seem to be at a much higher overall risk of suffering depression compared to men. Among older women, for instance, the top cause of depression is traumatic brain injury and the biggest cause of brain injury in women is slip and fall accidents. The researchers believe that it is important for physicians treating older women or any women suffering from brain injury to caution them about their risks for depression.
What makes the situation even more challenging is that there tends to be an under- appreciation of these injuries in women. Women are much less likely to be taken seriously when they have suffered a brain injury, even though these injuries affect so many women every year. That combined with the stress of their injuries not being taken seriously possibly increases their risks of depression.
Brain injuries are serious injuries that can have a life long impact on a person’s health and quality of life. They are linked to cognitive problems, loss of memory, loss of concentration and attention, depression, anxiety, irritability, personality changes, mood swings and a number of other mental effects that can significantly affect a person’s daily routine. If you have suffered even a mild head injury in a slip and fall accident, make sure you get these injuries checked out by a doctor, even if there are no visible signs of an injury like bleeding or inflammation. Many brain injuries are silent injuries with no clear and visible signs of impact.
The Atlanta slip and fall accident lawyers are dedicated to the representation of persons who have suffered injuries in slip and fall accidents in the metro Atlanta region and across the state of Georgia. If you or a loved one have suffered injuries in a slip and fall accident, talk to an attorney at our firm and discuss your legal rights for a claim for damages. You may qualify for compensation that includes medical expenses, lost income and other forms of damages. Talk to a lawyer at our firm and discuss your case. Initial consultations are free.