Here’s another potential cause of many mental illnesses and other conditions: traumatic brain injuries.

Researchers at Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York found that many people who suffered a major blow to the head later struggled with addiction, learning disabilities, memory loss and depression.

The good news is that they responded well to therapy for the injuries, often caused by an accident, sports mishap or parental abuse.
The bad news is that initial problems with memory and confusion after a brain injury often lead to worse problems later in life:

People get abused as kids, making them inattentive in school and sometimes unable to learn,” says [Jennifer] Highley [of Common Ground, an agency that builds housing for the homeless]. She says head injury and the emotional fallout from abuse can lead to alcoholism and addiction, and “that combination creates the inability to function and often leads to homelessness.”

However, one type of brain injury that’s not being linked to mental illness is those suffered during combat.
Many veterans returning from Iraq have reported serious brain injuries. Illinois recently launched a Warriors Assistance Program to screen all National Guardsmen returning from Iraq and Afghanistan.

Tammy Duckworth, director of the Illinois Department of Veterans Affairs, said,

“Too often mild traumatic brain injury is misdiagnosed as post-traumatic stress disorder.”

Military doctors said the opposite is also true.
They hope more accurate diagnoses will help soldiers get the right kind of treatment.

Illinois has a hot line for veterans to call for screenings: 1-866-554-4927.
Civilians who think they may have a serious brain injury or are worried about someone else can contact their doctor for help.