Teenagers that suffer concussions frequently experience emotional symptoms including depression and anxiety, a new study finds.
Concussion symptoms differ in people. They can be physical, emotional or even cognitive. A new study throws light on the type of symptoms teenagers generally face after concussions, stating that they're generally emotional.
"While most people recover from a concussion within a week, a number of factors affect people's recovery, and studies have shown that teenage athletes may take up to seven to 10 days longer to recover than older athletes," said study author Lisa M. Koehl, MS, and Dong (Dan) Y. Han, PsyD, of the University of Kentucky in Lexington, in a press release.
The study was conducted on 37 participants aged between 12 and 17 years. All participants experienced persistent symptoms, even 37 days after the concussion. One group of 22 teens had emotional symptoms such as irritability, aggression, anxiety, depression, apathy, frequent mood changes or excessive emotional reactions after the concussion. The second group of 15 teens did not have any emotional symptoms. There were no differences between the two groups in factors such as what percentage experienced loss of consciousness or amnesia, indicating that the groups were likely comparable in the level of severity of concussion.
The researchers also noted that these emotional symptoms made the participants sensitive to light and noise. About 23 percent of the first group of participants was sensitive to light while 15 percent were sensitive to noise. Among the second group, 13 percent reported being sensitive to light but none was sensitive to noise.
"Identifying factors such as these that may exacerbate issues teens experience after concussion may help in planning for the appropriate treatment and in making decisions about when to return to play and what accommodations are needed at school for these athletes," Koehl and Han said.
The study was funded by the American College of Sports Medicine Research Foundation. Findings will be presented at The Sports Concussion Conference in Chicago, July 11 to 13, 2014, hosted by the American Academy of Neurology.
