Study links brain injury to behavioral disorder

As Missouri residents may know, a newly released study suggests that there may be a connection between traumatic brain injuries and attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder. The study was published in a psychiatric journal after conducting interviews by phone.

After calculating the responses of 3,993 adults, the study showed that among those who had suffered traumatic brain injuries, 5.9 percent had received an earlier diagnosis of ADHD, while an additional 6.6 percent tested positive using the ADHD scale during phone interviews. The studies are unclear in demonstrating whether the brain injury might make changes that contribute to the development of ADHD after an injury or whether the respondents with earlier diagnosed ADHD were more likely to sustain a brain injury due to accidents or other injuries.

A leading health institute reported that 11 percent of minors between the ages of 4 and 17 had ADHD in 2011. A study conducted the previous year by the same institute reported several million TBIs. Because of the rising numbers of those with ADHD, the consensus of the World Health Organization is that ADHD might become one of the leading disabilities around the world, trailing only depression and heart diseases.

A previous study linking brain injury and ADHD pointed to a possible connection as well. According to a research fellow at a Toronto hospital, symptoms of both are similar, including lack of the ability to organize and plan, speech problems and problems with attention and memory.

An individual who suffers a brain injury through the negligence of another individual may require long-term care, hospitalization and extensive rehabilitation. An attorney could possibly assist by examining reports and other evidence and file a lawsuit to recover damages and expenses associated with the injury from the responsible party.