Individuals suffer a brain injury due to a variety of causes including the following:

• Automobile collision or sports/recreational injuries
• Long-term drug or alcohol abuse
• Aneurysm
• Tumours
• Stroke
• Various diseases and disorders
• Falls
• Assaults

A brain injury can affect every aspect of a person’s life—physical, cognitive, social and emotional. There are frequently no visible physical symptoms and that can lead others to overlook the resulting disabilities. Friends, family and acquaintances may misinterpret the effects of a brain injury as a personality defect.

Possible effects resulting from brain injury:

Physical: Headaches; altered speech, vision or hearing; paralysis; chronic pain; fatigue; loss of taste and smell; epilepsy and seizures; dizziness

Cognitive: Slow to respond; memory problems; poor concentration; decreased attention span; poor planning and problem solving skills; impulsivity

Emotional: Irritability; lack of insight; depression; mood swings; socially inappropriate behaviour; self-centredness

These effects may be life lasting or subside over time. A common brain injury myth is that it is an intellectual impairment. In fact, most survivors retain their intellectual abilities.