My little sister actually just suffered from a concussion.
Is she more prone to mental health issues?
This is the first study of its size and length of time to assess
whether concussion is associated to mental health issues.
This study compared two cohorts.
The first cohort was composed of 156,000
children and youth with a concussion, and the second cohort was composed
of 296,000 children and youth with an orthopedic injury.
Both groups were matched on age and sex, and both groups
did not have any mental health issues one year prior to the injury.
Our study shows that those that have sustained a concussion are at a 40% higher
risk of developing mental health issues after their concussion.
Most importantly, the association occurs
only in some children and only in some circumstances.
However, these circumstances still have not been identified.
During concussion follow up visit, we encourage physicians
to screen for mental health issues and screen as well
for factors that might predispose a child for mental health issues.
We also encourage children to go back to their socialization
activities, physical activity, school and sports.
For parents and children, we encourage to keep an open conversation
about mental health issues.
And if there are any concerns, please seek help.