According to MedlinePlus, a traumatic brain injury occurs when a person experiences a bump, jolt, blow or other injury to the head. Every year, millions of New York and U.S. citizens sustain a TBI, and more than half require immediate medical attention. Though the symptoms of TBI vary, more severe injuries can lead to permanent brain damage or even death. Half of all TBIs that occur in the U.S. are the result of car accidents.
Symptoms of TBI take days or weeks to appear, which is why many accident victims fail to get medical attention. However, over time, the victim may begin to experience headaches that grow worse or do not go away, slurred speech, chronic nausea or vomiting, inability to wake from sleep, dilated pupils, weakness or numbness in the limbs and convulsions or seizures. Other symptoms include neck pain, dizziness and ringing in the ears.
Though, on their own, these symptoms may seem “mild” compared to, say, other catastrophic injuries, the true cost of a TBI shows that TBIs are anything but minor. Northwestern Now breaks down the costs associated with traumatic brain injuries.
TBIs cost the U.S. millions of dollars in medical costs, unemployment, homelessness and other related expenses each year. On an individual level, the expenses are bank-breaking. According to the journal, the average lifetime cost of treatment alone ranges from $85,000 to $3 million. Complicating matters is the high rate of unemployment among adults with brain injuries. For the average adult living with a TBI, the unemployment rate two years post-diagnosis is 60%. For some perspective, the national unemployment rate hovers between 5% and 12%. Estimates reveal that approximately 53% of homeless individuals live with a brain injury.
