Concussive Syndrome Symptoms

Concussive syndrome, technically called post-concussive syndrome, results from a mild traumatic brain injury. This syndrome has a wide variety of physical and psychological symptoms that can last for a short time or continue for years.

Cause

• Symptoms result from a fall or a blow to the head, and may not appear for hours, days or weeks after the injury. Physical examinations, including imaging technology, often do not indicate any specific problems, causing frustration for a patient when doctors cannot find anything wrong.

Physical Symptoms

• Physical symptoms include chronic headaches, dizziness, fatigue, loss of sense of smell or taste, ringing in the ears and sensitivity to noise and light.

Psychological Symptoms

• Psychological and behavioral symptoms include difficulty concentrating, getting lost easily, irritability, insomnia, memory problems, personality changes and slowness in thinking.

Identification

• Scientific literature on post-concussive syndrome typically requires at least three symptoms lasting at least three months to be present for a diagnosis.

Severity

• Patients often describe post-concussive syndrome symptoms as mild but disruptive to normal life activity. Some, however, experience worse effects. As noted by Alex J. Mitchell in his 2004 book, "Neuropsychiatry and Behavioural Neurology Explained," symptoms can be disabling, with many individuals feeling unable to work or socialize normally.