Kawahata1

Nagi Kawahata

Emily Litle

ENG1021001

30 April 2023

The Relationship Between Concussion and Mental Health

When I was in junior high school, I had contact with an opposing player during a

soccer game and suffered a concussion. A few hours later, I experienced short-term memory

loss of how I spent this morning and how the game went. It was then that I recognized that I

had a concussion. The next day, I had a bruised head and a depressed mood that lasted for

almost two weeks. However, at the time, my knowledge of concussions was limited, and I

had no idea that my depression was due to concussion, as concussions have physical effects

such as memory loss, nausea, and dizziness. So, I was back competing a few days after my

concussion. Many students, like me, do not have sufficient knowledge about concussions, and

many return to competition immediately after a concussion (Fedor, pg.111). Concussions

affect the body and mind more than we realize, and repeated concussions can easily lead to

chronic traumatic encephalopathy, which can lead to aggression toward those close to you,

suicidal behavior, depression, and other mental disorders (Brylinski, pg.89-90). By alerting as

many athletes and people who are likely to cause concussions as possible, we believe we can

address this by making them aware of the importance of the process of recovery and the risks

involved when they do in fact have a concussion. Anyone can have a mental illness caused by
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a concussion.

The opposing argument regarding the relationship between concussions and mental

health is that people who experience concussions and suffer from mental illnesses are not

necessarily caused by concussions. Some physicians and other experts have stated that it is

difficult to distinguish between mental illnesses caused by concussions and those caused by

environmental factors such as stress. Some say that it is true that chronic traumatic

encephalopathy, which is closely related to concussions and mental health, may be difficult to

identify and distinguish without an autopsy after death, but the argument here is that

experiencing or repeating concussions can have not only physical effects but also mental

effects on those around you.

Chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) is a neuropathological disorder associated

with changes that occur because of mild repetitive brain injury. And as chronic traumatic

encephalopathy progresses, it affects the entire brain, including brain volume loss and brain

become smaller, especiallythe part of. the brain that feels stress and work to control emotion

(Brylinski, pg. 87). This can lead to cognitive decline, depression, aggression, suicidal

behavior, Alzheimer's disease, and other diseases. The typical age of onset of this condition is

between 30 and 65 years old, but evidence of CTE has been found in a 14-year-old American

boy who played American football. Further, CTE has four stages, each with different

symptoms. By knowing the various stages and their respective symptoms, we can suspect
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CTE from the slightest change and engage in early detection and treatment.

Another risk factor for CTE is related to the length of career institution: a study of

former athletes who played at NCAA Division 1 universities reported that former athletes

who had three or more concussions had 2.4 times higher rates of moderate to severe

depression than former athletes who had not experienced concussions. (Kerr, para18). Other

items, such as aggression and impulsivity, were also higher in the group that had experienced

concussion. Although this seems to be limited to athletes, other individuals at risk for

developing CTE include domestic violence survivors and soldiers and retired military

personnel who are exposed to the detonation of improvised explosive devices. 

  The risks of concussions and mental health has been shown to affect student athletes

and professional athletes in the NFL and other sports. Research shows that among those

diagnosed with concussions between the ages of 13 and 20, those with mental complaints

such as anxiety and learning disabilities are more severely affected than those without

(Schulze para.4). The mental health impact of concussions today is familiar to men and

women of all ages, and we believe it is particularly important for everyone to know their risk

and understand how their existing mental health status affects the number and severity of

their concussion symptoms. In addition, the likelihood of chronic traumatic encephalopathy is

extremely high when concussions are repeated on a regular, long-term basis. The prevalence

of contact sports such as soccer, basketball, football, and mixed martial arts requires
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prevention and adequate protection of athletes through rule changes protective equipment

improvements (Brylinski pg.86).

  So far, I have discussed how concussions induce mental illness, but there is another

danger lurking in concussions. That is that it can interfere with recovery from mental illness.

For symptoms identified and treated after a concussion history is determined, individuals

with higher levels of hyperarousal and dissociative/depressive symptoms prior to treatment

are less likely to experience improvement in depression and PTSD symptoms during

treatment (Remigo, para3). Thus, concussions not only induce new psychiatric disorders, but

also have a significant impact on subsequent recovery. Therefore, it is important to focus on

individualized treatment of mental health symptoms early in the treatment process when a

concussion occurs. 

Throughout this paper I have discussed the relationship between concussions and

mental health. Concussions and mental health are closely related because students and

professional athletes often suffer from depression, aggression, and other mental health

problems during and after their careers due to concussions. We also believe that because

concussions have a significant impact on subsequent mental health recovery, it is important

for those around athletes to be well informed about concussion treatment and rehabilitation,

and for athletes to understand that concussions are not to be taken lightly and that they are a

risk. It is wonderful and important for athletes to hone their athletic skills, focus on results,
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and build a career. But pursuing them at the expense of one's own health can make not only

oneself but also those around them unhappy. Learning about concussions and other risks is

essential if we want to have a long athletic career because sports are just a way to enhance

our life. Concussions are not limited to athletes; they can also occur in everyday life,

affecting men and women of all ages. Therefore, we believe that the more people are aware

of the risks of concussions and spread the word, the more research will be conducted, and the

fewer people will suffer from mental illnesses caused by concussions. 

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Work Cited

Brylinski, Lukasz, et al. “Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy-Current State of Knowledge.”

JOURNAL OF EDUCATION, HEALTH AND SPORTS, vol. 11, no. 8, 2021, pp.

86–100. doi:　http://dx.doi.org/10.12275/JEHS.2021.11.08.010. Web

Fedor Andrew, and John Gunstad. “Limited Knowledge of Concussion Symptoms in College

Athletes.” Applied Neuropsychology: Adult, vol 22, no. 2, 2015, pp 108-113. Web.

Kerr, Zachary Y, et al. “Association between Concussion and Mental Health in Former

Collegiate Athletes - Injury Epidemiology.” BioMed Central, Springer International

Publishing, 17 Nov. 2014,

https://injepijournal.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s40621-014-0028-x. 

Remigio-Baker, Rosemay A., et al. “Presenting Symptoms as Prognostic Measures of Mental

Health Recovery among Service Members with Concussion.” Frontiers, Frontiers,

12 Dec. 2022, https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fneur.2022.1070676/full

Schulze J., Kathryn, et al. “Association of Preexisting Mental Health Conditions with

Increased Initial Symptom Count and Severity Score on SCAT5 When Assessing

Concussion.” Orthopaedic Journal of Sports Medicine, 19 Sept. 2022,

https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/23259671221123581