Head injuries are still not very well understood even in the medical world. As doctors and scientists from all over the globe work to uncover how brain trauma impacts the body and mind, more and more surprising things end up uncovered.
This includes the correlation between changed behavior and personality in victims as related to traumatic brain injuries (TBIs).
Understanding TBIs
According to Mayo Clinic, brain trauma can manifest in numerous unexpected ways. This includes the potential for a victim’s entire base personality to end up altered.
A person’s base personality is often determined by not only formative experiences but also how the brain functions. The frontal lobe is particularly crucial in these matters because of its role in the regulation of emotions and impulse control.
Changes to personality from TBIs
When the frontal lobe ends up traumatically damaged, many victims of these injuries will experience changes to their personality at a base level. For example, they may have been patient and kind before the accident. However, damage to their frontal lobe renders them much more easily irritated and angered.
Because of damage to their impulse control, they end up lashing out verbally or even physically at their loved ones, or even strangers. This is a difficult thing for the victim’s loved ones to confront or even understand.
Over time, the victim’s original personality and temperament might begin to reemerge through the healing process. In some cases, however, these changes can last for months or even years, or could be permanent, which is a source of major distress.