According to the CDC, each year Emergency Departments treat 173, 285 traumatic brain injuries, including concussions. Kids and Teens get concussions most often from sports and recreational activities. Football, basketball, soccer, playground activities and bicycling are associated with the most concussions treated in the ER. The CDC says that there has been a 60 % increase in concussions in the last decade. There is no clear reason for the rise in concussions, it is possibly because of an increased awareness, and doctors and coaches are more educated on the symptoms of concussions. There is also evidence that Teenage football players are bigger, stronger and more aggressive then they were in the past.
With more concussions being treated, we are also seeing a link between teenagers with a history of concussion and depression. According to the Journal of Adolescent Health, teens with concussions are 3 times more likely to suffer from depression then teens that have never had a traumatic brain injury. It is important that Doctors screen teenagers with concussions or a history of concussions for depression. It is not clear why these teenagers are at a greater risk for depression. There is a possibility it stems from the social isolation that they experience while they are recovering. The other possibility is that the actual brain injury is the cause for depression. A study done at the University of California in San Diego observed teens that had no history of depression become suicidal within hours of suffering from their injury.
There are ways you can prevent concussions and also lessen the potential damage of a concussion that has already occurred. It is important to have teens and kids wear a helmet while biking. If your teen plays football or soccer, it is important to make sure that the coach is educating the team about the dangers of concussions and teaching safe playing techniques. If your teen does get injured, it is important to know the signs and symptoms of a concussion and to take the teen to get treated immediately. Early treatment can help lessen the damage. It is also important to keep the teen out of play for the amount of time the doctor recommends so that the brain can properly heal. If we lessen the amount of concussions, that will in turn decrease teenage depression.