Originally Posted by Mark in Idaho

Josh,

Post Concussion just means after the impact. Once you have had the head impact, everything after is Post Concussion. If a concussion does not manifest symptoms after a few days, then it is a mild short term concussion.

SSRI's are not prescribed for PCS. They are commonly prescribed by doctors who just want the anxious patient to go away. Since there is nothing a doctor can do for a concussion, they prescribe meds so the patient feels 'treated.'

There are two kinds of anxiety after a concussion. The concussion caused anxiety is related to the fatigue and the tendency to become overwhelmed by too much stimulation, either visual or auditory. There are some other less common anxiety symptoms from a concussion but these are the common ones.

The non-concussion anxiety is from the subject being told bad information about their concussion. They are told that they should be feeling better already. Or that the hit was minor so they should not be having symptoms. Or, they are not willing to be patient while the concussion symptoms have a chance to resolve. Or, others are putting too much pressure on the subject to do too much, too fast.

So, the important question is whether your concerns are causing the anxiety or whether you have a low threshold for visual and auditory stimulation.

An important issue with PCS is simple. Have you accepted your current condition so that you can work with it rather than against it? There are many things that can be done to minimize symptoms. They are all behavioral changes. Sort of like, You will never get over your concussion if you keep banging your head against the wall.

Rest, good diet, environmental and behavioral changes, etc. can make a big difference.

An SSRI may cause more problems that it helps. Not a light decision.

My best to you.