Post concussion syndrome (PCS) can last for weeks, months, or even years. It is a combination of physical, emotional, and cognitive disorders caused by mild to moderate brain injury. The symptoms can come and go unpredictably leaving the victim and loved ones confused and in turmoil. PCS is often misdiagnosed leading to even more misunderstanding, and sometimes to inappropriate treatment for disorders which the patient does not have.
PCS is known by many names including:
- Post concussive syndrome
- Post traumatic syndrome
- Traumatic head syndrome
- Traumatic dephalgia
- Chronic brain syndrome
- Post brain injury syndrome
Symptoms
The symptoms of PCS are elusive. Some people experience severe and constant symptoms, while for others the effects may come and go. PCS may manifest as primarily emotional and behavioral changes, leading to a misdiagnosis of psychiatric disorder and inappropriate medications which do not address the root cause. For other victims the symptoms can be physical, resulting in pain and fatigue. Each person is affected differently.
Cognitive symptoms:
- Foggy thinking
- Difficulty concentrating
- Memory problems
- Amnesia
- Confusion
- Periods of mental dullness
- Impaired attention
Emotional/behavioral symptoms:
- Extreme mood swings
- Unexplained anger
- Frustration
- Irritability
- Depression
- Anxiety
- Restlessness
- Loss of self-confidence
- Low self-esteem
- Personality changes
Physical symptoms:
- Sleep disorders
- Fatigue
- Exhaustion
- Weakness
- Headaches
- Ringing ears
- Dizziness
- Nausea and/or vomiting
- Balance problems
- Difficulty with controlled movements
- Vision problems
- Sensitivity to light
- Hearing problems
- Sensitivity to noise
- Decrease or change in sense of taste
- Decrease or change in sense of smell
- Loss of libido and/or sexual dysfunction
PCS controversy
Post concussion syndrome is not a new discovery, but the medical community has been in disagreement over its cause for decades. The history of PCS goes back at least to the 1800’s when train wrecks were a common cause of brain injury. At that time it was believed to be caused y physical assault to the brain. Later, when psychiatry was young and newly popular, doctors began to think that it was psychological in origin.
The damage to the brain which causes PCS is on a microscopic level. It has not been until recent year that technology began to emerge which can give us a better understanding of brain injury. The new evidence is pointing, once again, to physical damage as the root cause of PCS.
If you or a loved one has suffered a brain injury, contact an experiencedbrain injury attorney today.
