Sometimes brain injuries are obvious — a person goes into a coma, experiences seizures, or has some other overt manifestations. Mild brain injuries, however, are often overlooked at the time of the injury. In large part, this is because a patient who has suffered a mild brain injury does not exhibit an overt injury such as a skull fracture or bleeding, and on many occasions does not even suffer a loss of consciousness. As a result, friends and family are often the people who notice changes in the injured person’s personality or physical condition, ultimately leading to the diagnosis. The signs and symptoms of a mild brain injury include changes in behavior, mental functioning and physical condition. Examples of behavioral changes include irritability, increased periods of frustration and anger, depression, and anxiety. Mental functioning difficulties include increased forgetfulness, loss of memory of certain events, concentration problems, and difficulty with processing and analyzing information in noisy situations or when asked to multi-task. Physical symptoms can include headaches, loss of balance, change in taste, fatigue, dizziness, nausea and vomiting.
