A head injury is serious. All too often, people ignore their symptoms simply because they think they have a temporary headache. A head injury can turn into a brain injury and the effects can be long-lasting, even permanent.

Knowing symptoms of brain injuries can be helpful, especially if you are doubting whether or not to see a doctor or see brain injury lawyers. Brain injuries have different degrees of severity and some of the injuries can result in death.

There are traumatic brain injuries and acquired brain injuries. The traumatic brain injury is caused by something external – like a concussion. The acquired brain injury is at the cellular level – like a tumor. The symptoms can behavioral, cognitive, emotional, perceptual, and physical. If you experience an injury through negligence, you should reach out to traumatic brain injury lawyers to explore your options.

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  • Behavioral symptoms

The behavioral symptoms can include reactions to stress. People with brain injuries can overreact to stressful situations and show increased degrees of aggressiveness. They might cry more often or display more anger than usual without any reasons why. They might not be able to control their responses to other people, which might make them appear to have regressed to a younger age. This behavior would not be present prior to the brain injury, so family, friends, and coworkers would most likely notice these changes.

  • Cognitive

Cognitive symptoms are related to thinking. So, someone with a brain injury will have challenges understanding people, thinking, and expressing those thoughts. They might also have a short attention span, especially compared to pre-injury. They might also have some memory loss and difficulty in making decisions. It might take people with brain injuries longer to process what they hear or see, simply because the brain injury is getting in the way.

  • Emotional

Emotional issues can also arise. People with brain injuries often present themselves either with flat emotions or with excessive emotions. They have difficulty expressing emotions in appropriate ways. They might also seem easily irritated and very impatient. Emotional symptoms and behavioral symptoms are often intertwined for people with brain injuries.

  • Perceptual

With brain injuries, the senses still take in information, but the brain does not know what to do with that information. So, symptoms can show up when they try to describe what they see, hear, taste, smell, or touch. They might not be able to recognize things that were easily recognizable prior to the injury. They may also have issues with balance as the senses work together for proprioception. They might also overreact or underreact to pain.

  • Physical

The physical symptoms are often the easiest to see. People with brain injuries might complain frequently about headaches. They might also become tired both physically and mentally. They might have difficulty sleeping, which can cause other issues. You might see your loved one suffer from paralysis or seizures. They might also complain about bright lights and some people with brain injuries also slur their sleep. People with brain injuries sometimes will vomit, especially in the earliest stage of the injury.