When you get hit on the head or body, your brain moves inside your skull. This movement can cause brain injury and possibly a concussion.
A concussion can be destructive. It can affect the way your body functions — your thinking, your emotions, and your sleep. You may feel confused, have trouble remembering things, or generally feel sluggish and tired. Suddenly you can feel more emotional, sad, irritable, nervous or anxious. And it can directly impact your sleep, leading you to either have too little, too much, or none at all.
Concussion facts
- Brain injury is the leading cause of death and disability for Canadians under the age of 40.
- Cycling, playground activities and hockey are the greatest contributors to concussions in Canada.
- Signs of a concussion can vary from sensitivity to light or noise, nausea, headaches, confusion and more.
How should I treat a concussion?
If you suspect you or a loved one has experienced a concussion, it is important to have a doctor or health care provider examine you.
It is also important to have someone observe you for a few days after injury. Everyone experiences concussions differently, and symptoms can take hours or days to develop.
If you experience these symptoms, seek help immediately:
- Neck pain
- Double vision
- Loss of consciousness
- Seizure or convulsion
- Regular vomiting
- Headaches that grow more severe
- Weak, tingling or burning feeling in arms and legs
Brain Breakthroughs
Your brain is what makes you, you. It defines how you think, how you feel and how you function. When something goes wrong with your brain, it shatters your sense of being, and ripples out to family and friends.
But it doesn’t have to be this way. You have helped accelerate our pace of discovery and dramatically change lives with the support of our Brain Breakthroughs campaign.
Thanks to your support, we have exceeded our goal and raised over $42 million. Learn more.
Concussions and mental health
The connection between concussions and mental health is often overlooked. An estimated 25% of mild traumatic brain injury patients develop a mental health condition such as depression or post-traumatic stress disorder within three months of their injury. These mental health factors triple the risk of long-term disability for these patients.
One in five Canadians will experience mental health or addiction in their lifetime. It is the leading cause of disability in Canada. By improving our understanding of the causes, we can provide earlier diagnosis, more personalized treatments and better support for patients who have nowhere else to turn.
Philanthropic funding supports our neuropsychologists developing personalized approaches to care, like Dr. Noah Silverberg, who is mobilizing family physicians to more effectively identify and manage mental health complications following traumatic brain injuries.
Concussion patient puts her mind to enhancing care
Thalia Otamendi loved soccer. But over the years the sport took its toll on her body and she suffered a serious concussion while playing.
At first, Thalia thought the symptoms would go away on their own. But they only grew worse. After a few weeks she went to see local care providers for help, who told her to stay indoors in dark rooms until the symptoms subsided. This went on for months.
“I was feeling so overwhelmed, anxious and depressed,” says Thalia.
Thalia was one of many patients who experience distressing mental health symptoms following a concussion. Learn more about how she received the treatment she needed and how it’s guided her towards a PhD.
