Concussed Teens More Likely to Attempt Suicide

Teens who have experienced a traumatic brain injury such as a concussion are nearly three times more likely to attempt suicide later in life. They are also more likely to be bullied or be bullies in school compared to teens who have never experience a concussion, according to a recent study.

The study, published in the peer-reviewed scientific journal  PLOS One, details how teens with traumatic brain injuries (TMI) are far less likely to be normally functioning adolescents and face significantly raised risks of becoming depressed, getting in fights, and involving themselves in criminal activity even before graduating from high school.

To determine this, Canadian researchers from the University of Toronto analyzed data from the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health's 2011 Ontario Student Drug Use and Health Survey. While in past years the survey only measured drug use among teens in grades seven through 12, now the survey includes questions pertaining to TMIs and violent behavior as well.

According to the study, one in five teenagers in Toronto had experienced a TBI during the time of the study. Results from the survey analysis showed researchers that teenagers who had experienced a TBI were two times more likely to be victims of bullying or cyber bullying and three times more likely to attempt suicide, compared to their peers who had never experienced a TBI.

Post TBI teens were also found to be more likely than their peers to become bullies and carry weapons, damage property, engage in breaking and entering, sell drugs, run away from home, start fires, and get in fights, although the rates at which this was likely varied from school to school.

Why this occurs remains to be seen. The study only determined and association between these factors and TBIs and did not establish a cause and effect relationship.

However, past research has found that concussions and other TBIs can leave long-lasting effects on the brain, even altering white matter structure, which is connective tissue that helps the brain learn and key to making decisions.

The study was published in PLOS One on April 15.