When dealing with head injuries, it is important to note the many symptoms that may occur in the aftermath.
Some of these symptoms will manifest over a shorter period of time, while others might take a while to make themselves known. Changes to personality often fall into the former category.
What are common personality alterations?
Mayo Clinic discusses brain trauma that can alter a person’s life. This includes the potential for an altered personality.
For some, personality alterations might appear small or unobtrusive. Others, however, might see major changes that can even make a loved one feel like a stranger.
The most common of alterations include changes to a person’s tolerance and temperament. For example, many will lash out at others more often and struggle to contain their anger. Some will seem much easier to annoy. Many can no longer cope effectively with the small daily annoyances that life typically brings about.
Are these changes permanent?
For some, improvement comes quickly. As swelling and bruising in the brain begin to subside, the victim’s original personality begins to resurface.
In other cases, improvement may only come after a period of time has passed. It might take physical and mental therapy for the individual to recover.
And in others still, the changes might manifest in a more permanent way. Some people will never truly regain the full personality that they had before the incident and will have to readjust to life with these changes.
Unfortunately, it is extremely difficult to tell which category a person will fall into at the offset, adding an element of confusion to it.
