Hello everyone,
I just discovered this website and I am so hoping I can find some help here. I am female, 49 years old, happily married. I will just jump right in with my story and I promise to make it as short as possible. I'll start first with my question.....can fainting and subsequent mild concussions cause enough damage to cause mild depression and impaired concentration for pretty much an entire lifetime?

Let me explain.....I can think of 5 seperate mild concussions I have had in my life...all caused by fainting.

At 6 years old I was watching a movie in first grade about cows being branded. It not only broke my heart but made me so squeamish I just konked right over...onto a concrete floor in the auditorium. Really don't remember much else, except my dad coming to pick me up from the nurses office.

At 8 years old my sister was giving me a haircut. I remember she kept telling me I had to sit up straight and I was trying so hard I think I was even holding my breath trying not to move. I fainted onto the bathroom floor.

Two years later I did it again (same scenario) only onto a concrete patio floor. Unfortunately, both my parents are gone now and I can't ask them for more details about these 3 incidents. I just don't rememeber how I felt for hours or days after, but vaguely remember a mild concussion being talked about.

At 16, I was laying in the sun with a friend at a pool. We fell asleep for a bit too long. When we woke up we decided to go to the snack bar. Within 30 seconds of standing in front of the snack bar window (now in the shade) and giving our order I began to feel faint. The next thing I remembered I had medics around me. I had fallen straight back on the concrete. My friend said the back of my head hit first. I was taken by ambulance to the hospital. I was told I had a bad concussion. Was sick vomiting and nauseous for days after. Was also told that heat stroke is what caused the fainting.

This next incident is the only one that did not involve a concussion, although still brain involved. At 21, I had my first child. I had what they called a precipitous labor and my son was born extremely fast, causing the placenta to rip away from the uterine wall. I began to hemmorage and fainted. When I woke up a couple minutes later they had already begun to pump blood back into me. For weeks after I suffered a HORRIBLE post partum depression. My mom and husband had to be with me non stop. At my 6 week check up I got scolded by my doctor for not mentioning it before. They took a blood sample and found my progesterone was very depleted. The doctor said that when I hemmoraged it depleted my pituitary gland of blood and that's what caused my hormones to go so out of whack. I never felt quite the same after that incident. I was ok....but not exactly "me". I did lots of research but could only find "Sheehans Syndrome" as a possible cause. I dont know why.....but I never pursued that idea.

At 41 I was at a restaurant with a friend sitting on a high stool. We had just got there and was looking over the menu. I began to feel faint and next I remember I was waking up with my friend and others around me. My friend said that I went straight back and hit my head first on the carpeted floor. They called an ambulance. I was given a cat scan that checked out ok, but had a concussion and again was vomiting and headaches for days.

Ok now.....suddenly today (believe it or not for the first time ever) it suddenly dawned on me that just MAYBE these head injuries over time could have something to do with the mild depression (Dysthymia) I have endured ALMOST constantly since I was a teenager. I have been on Prozac a couple times and it helped but went off it because I just couldnt stand the thought of being on it forever, plus hated the side effects. Tried 2 other anti-depressants, didn't help much. My depressed mood is mild....kind of like a general blah feeling. I don't get excited real easily...just kind of a steady low key blah. I do have happy moments though....but usually not long lasting. I have always had a tough time with keeping a train of thought going....staying focused (like when reading) is quite a chore. I have a hard time getting started on things....anything....like making dinner....exercising.....paying bills.....running an errand, etc... My self esteem has never been real great and I get irritated easily.

What bothers me more than anything is that I have ZERO reason to feel this way....I have a wonderful loving husband, loving children, adorable grandchildren, a comfortable life.....except for this. And I am sooooo very tired of it. It just never goes away for long.

So...my question......what is the likelihood that those 5 head injuries starting at age 6 and going to age 41 could be responsible for this low mood I have had, on and off, since I was a teenager?
PLEASE, anyone who might have some experience with this, or if you are a doctor, any help would be so appreciated.
Thanks from the heart....