It may go without saying that if a person in California suffers a concussion, such injuries can negatively affect their physical health. However, one report indicates that a traumatic brain injury could negatively affect a person's mental health as well.

When a person suffers numerous TBIs, they could go on to develop chronic traumatic encephalopathy, also known as “CTE.” It appears that there may be a link between CTE and mental health issues, such as depression and anxiety. Changes to a person's personality, memory loss and mood swings have also been reported in those who suffer CTE.

This highlights the need to ensure that TBIs are diagnosed and treated correctly. Unfortunately, sometimes a TBI is so severe that it causes mental health issues in addition to physical trauma. While there are many causes of TBIs, sometimes the root cause of a TBI is someone else's negligence. For example, a person could suffer a TBI in a car accident caused by a distracted driver, or a person could suffer a TBI in a slip-and-fall incident in a grocery store.

Recovering from a TBI can be a lengthy process and, if a person has gone on to suffer from CTE, their struggles could last the rest of their life. When such injuries are caused by another person's negligence, the brain injury victim may want to determine if they can hold the responsible party accountable through a legal filing. A successful personal injury lawsuit could provide the brain injury victim with the financial resources needed to pay for medical expenses, future medical care and lost wages, as well as compensate the victim for pain and suffering.