About one in five people who suffer a mild traumatic brain injury(mTBI) will develop posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) or major depressive disorder (MDD) within 3 to 6 months, new research suggests. The study was published online January 30 in JAMA Psychiatry. The researchers studied 1155 adults (65% men, mean age 40.5) seen in the emergency department for mTBI (Glasgow Coma Scale scores, 13–15) and 230 adults (67% men, mean age 40.4) with nonhead orthopedic trauma injuries.
“The emergence and long-term course of PTSD after TBI is variable, and our findings show that PTSD and MDD, although common, occur in only a minority of patients post-mTBI but especially those with prior mental health problems,” the investigators point out.