title: Personality change after severe head injury.
abstract: Personality change is widely reported after head injury, but rarely investigated quantitatively. This Paper summarises recent quantitative studies concerned with the natural history of personality change after severe head injury; its nature; its prediction; and its consequences. Reports of personality change increase with increasing time after injury, and the changes reflect a variety of phenomena including changes in affect, behaviour, maturity, and responsibility. Although there is a relationship between injury severity and personality change, other features such as premorbid personality and lifestyle are important. A severe personality change has important functional consequences. Families become heavily burdened, and patients with severe personality change are very unlikely to return to work.
authors.affiliation: University of Glasgow, Department of Psychological Medicine, U.K.
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Brooks
mesh_terms: D001925:Brain Damage, Chronic / Q000209:etiology*; D001930:Brain Injuries / Q000150:complications*; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D019965:Neurocognitive Disorders / Q000209:etiology*; D010554:Personality Disorders / Q000209:etiology*; D010556:Personality Tests