What happens if a concussion goes undiagnosed

Along with memory, your injury may have impacted your attention span. Untreated concussions can result in terrible symptoms that prevent you from maintaining your normal everyday routine. They impact every aspect of your life — at work, at school, and in your relationships — because they diminish your physical ability and affect your mental health.

In addition to the immediate symptoms, signs of a concussion may develop over time. Mental health is one of the biggest post-concussion issues. Unfortunately, damage to your brain can cause you to experience anxiety disorder, depression, and even various phobias you never had before.

Emotional dysregulation is a mental health issue that could very well destroy your relationships. A U-M pediatrician explains why these injuries should be taken seriously. Among the nearly 2 million estimated concussions children and teenagers sustain each year in the United States, as many as half are thought to go unreported to emergency room or family physicians.

The divide, highlighted this summer in a study published in Pediatrics , emphasizes a greater need for any such injury — or even the suspicion of one — to be taken seriously.

Concussions, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, are a type of traumatic brain injury caused by a blow or jolt to the head — or one to the body that causes the head to move rapidly back and forth.

Instead, a coach or athletic trainer — and, ultimately, a doctor — will survey the injured individual with a question checklist to gauge the likelihood of a concussion.

Overview Persistent post-concussive symptoms, also called post-concussion syndrome, occurs when concussion symptoms last beyond the expected recovery period after the initial injury. Request an Appointment at Mayo Clinic. Share on: Facebook Twitter. Show references Smith ST.

Postconcussion syndrome: An overview for clinicians. Psychiatric Annals. Mullally WJ. The American Journal of Medicine. In press. Accessed May 30, Tapia RN, et al. Rehabilitation of persistent symptoms after concussion. Evans RW. Postconcussion syndrome. A concussion is a brain injury that can be caused by a blow to the head or by any impact that causes the brain to shake violently inside the skull. Many people tend to associate concussions with sports injuries, but in fact, concussions often occur from biking accidents, car accidents, falls, and other types of collisions.

It is important to see the right medical professional right away if you suspect you may have a concussion. If concussions are not treated carefully, symptoms can continue for a longer duration of time. Further, if left untreated, concussion patients are at a greater risk of repeat concussions, which can significantly exacerbate the intensity and duration of symptoms.

You do not need to lose consciousness to have a concussion.