Brain injury can lead to a loss of energy, and problems with thinking and initiative. These symptoms are like depression and it may be hard to tell the difference between depression and brain injury symptoms.
Even so, depression after a brain injury is common. In some cases, brain injury can cause depression by changing the balance of chemicals in your brain that are important for maintaining normal mood.
This kind of depression can lead to feelings of gloom, general tiredness, hopelessness and poor motivation, which might affect your ability to participate in rehabilitation and other activities. Your sleeping patterns, appetite and thinking ability could also be affected by depression.
Steps to take if you could be depressed:
- Acknowledge how you feel.
- Talk to your icare coordinator, case manager or other people involved in your care about how you feel.
You will find that the earlier you seek help, the quicker you can get better.
There are many different treatments for depression and people can recover from depression.
The document ‘Depression after brain injury’ below has more information on what you can do to help manage your depression, and the treatment options available.