Feeling emotionally void after concussion
 

Hello,

I never thought I would find myself in this place in life. I used to be an intensely emotional, passionate person. I'm a 25 year old female - everything in my life was going so smoothly and nice until my concussion last month - I hit my forehead on a glass wall at the mall. Before my concussion, I was an extremely happy person. Lately, past few weeks I have noticed that I am feeling absolutely no emotions anymore. In the beginning of the injury, I felt okay emotionally...just was stressed. Now, however, I may THINK about an emotion or have an emotional verbal response to things, but I don't physically feel happiness, sadness, anxiety, excitement, feeling of inspiration, desire, etc. I feel like every ounce of feeling was sucked out of me...I also feel like physically, when I get hurt (like stubbing my toe into something) it really doesn't hurt that much. Certainly not like it used to. Can this be neural? I know emotional responses and physical pain are closely related.

I really don't want to get on medication. I am thinking about getting therapy. Please, someone tell me this feeling is temporary and I will heal? I feel suicidal and just have absolutely no desire for life anymore. I have been having nightmares every night and it's weird because when I wake up in the middle of the night sometimes I feel SO many emotions all at once, but then when I wake up again in the morning it's like I'm back at square one- empty of any sensation. This is by far the most scary thing I have ever experienced. I can deal with the constant post-concussion headaches, ear aches, etc. but the depression is going to murder me. I'm on the verge...

I explained my problem to family and friends and absolutely no one understands me - they think I'm imagining this but I'm not. They just don't think someone as emotional as I used to be could lose their ability to feel. It's the loneliest feeling in the world - I just don't know what to do anymore.

Hi and welcome to NeuroTalk.

Your lack of/change in emotional states is not uncommon with concussions. My emotions were all over the place for months after my injury. The prefrontal cortex is the primary area of the brain responsible for emotional processing, and based on your description of your injury, this is where the impact was. What you describe sounds like what psychologists would call "flat affect"

This will probably resolve over time, but based on your description of your emotional state, especially the suicidal thoughts, I would strongly suggest you start therapy immediately. I’d start with a neuropsychologist that specializes in brain injury. They can help determine what type of treatment would be most helpful, and refer you accordingly. Cognitive behavioral therapy could be one option they might recommend. If they do recommend medication, it likely won’t be forever so go with it if that is one of the recommendations.

Your injury is relatively recent, and you should expect improvements, but those improvements will be quicker and more effective with medical and psychological professionals guiding you.

You might also consider a brain injury support group. The Brain Injury Association of America may have an affiliate in your state that has a support group in your area.

http://www.biausa.org/state-affiliates.htm

Also check out http://www.brainline.org/content/201...u-to-know.html

You will get better, but it will take time. Best to you.

:hug:

Understand
 

Many people on this board can understand. Learn more about your injury so it doesn't scare you so much and get some good docs, support and therapy. Come here and ask questions.
Su Seb

Hi LostinTime987,

I understand what you're feeling and not feeling. I have blunted/flat affect from my TBI in 09 (auto-accident). The best advice I can give you is to find yourself a good neurologist and be perfectly honest with them about your symptoms. I didn't want to take meds either in the beginning, didn't want to be more of an emotional zombie than I already was. But, there are so many symptoms that result from a head injury that treatment is a necessity for most of us.

Everything you're experiencing right now isn't permanent. You may not go back to exactly the way you were prior to your injury, but you'll learn new ways to cope, think, feel, learn and experience your life.

I promise that along this difficult journey you will find a new kind of happiness, joy and passion for living again...I'll pass along some wisdom that was told to me ~ Learn to take advantage of re-discovering and re-inventing yourself. How many people get to take advantage of something that can be devastating to our lives and get a second chance to do a "re-do", a make-over if you will, of our life.

You will find new discoveries about yourself along the journey. You'll have bad days, but there will also be many many good days.

As far as family and friends, they more than likely won't understand but you have to put you first. Reach out here with those that do understand and any other resources that are available to us.

Some of us have to be our own best advocates and there is a lot to learn about a head injury. No two are exactly alike, but there is enough in common that we all have something valuable to share.

In the beginning, meds may be necessary for you to help you cope and to help with depression, which is so very common after a TBI. It isn't a sign of weakness or not being able to beat this thing on your own.

I won't kid you, it's a long sometimes exhausting and anguishing journey, but there is a wonderful life on the other side. It may not be the life you planned on or expected, but it can be just as good, if not better than the old life...It will be your new norm.

Again, reach out, read, listen, watch every video on TBIs that you can find, find yourself a good neuro if you don't have one. Sometimes you might have to suck it up, fake it till you make and allow yourself to not always be graceful about how you get to where you need to be.

You won't always feel like this. It will get better.

There is a wealth of good advice and experience here and most of the time it's the best you'll find. Share yourself. You have nothing to lose and much to gain. Stay here for a while. There are good people here that will understand.

You are in my thoughts. May all be well in your journey.

Lost,

Many of us have been through this 'flat affect' period. It can be confusing, especially if you friends and family are clueless and refuse to try to get a clue.

Read the Vitamins sticky at the top. It has the link to TBI Lost and Found LightRail mentioned.

It has some other good links, too.

You can do a lot for your brain with nutrition. Good stuff for your brain and staying away from bad stuff.

Finding a brain injury support group will be a big help. You may struggle to find one that is active during the summer.

Please stay with us on this thread so we can offer support and guidance. You are with family here. We DO understand.

My best to you.

Keep Your Head Up!
 

I just wanted to let you know that I absolutely despise taking medications of any sort or variety. However, as others have already mentioned, it becomes a necessary evil for at least a little while when you have PCS.

I can absolutely sympathize with the "flat" feeling and the horrible nightmares that cause anxiety in the middle of the night. I am finally on something called Trazodone that has helped me sleep a dreamless sleep for almost a week now! Rest and reduced stress/stimulation is the best help for PCS, so do whatever you have to to get good restful sleep!

Keep your head up honey...I am also a 25 year old female and my life has been turned upside down with this. Keep visiting this site and letting us know how things are going. You will get better and life will be worth living again!

All the best thoughts to you

I also got this flat effect and also lost the ability to pray. I never realized I need my emotions to pray! It all came back yesterday and I remarked to my husband how good it felt to be alive. He laughed and said that is what almost all concussion victims say, even though very few people die from it, the brain thinks it is dying. I am only on week 2 of recovery and still have problems with other things like walking. My hit was also on the front part of my head. Im not an expert but others are saying that you will recover. In the meantime please remember this flat feeling is really your body telling you to rest and not try to experience relationships and emotions during this time. The only answer I could get from trying to pray during my flat phase, was that I couldn't pray because I was supposed to be resting, not talking!! Wishing you a speedy and full recovery.

AMEN. My accident was life threatening, and I am thankful for this gift called life. Prayer and meditation continue to be an important part of my journey.

:grouphug:

Thank you so much everyone. It's good to know I'm not alone in this, because it's been incredibly difficult and I feel less and less like my old self everyday. It's killing me inside.

Anyone that has been through this "flat" feeling of dull (or no) emotions, has it gotten better? I'm so scared of feeling this way permanently or having to stay on antidepressants for the rest of my life. To go from being incredibly extroverted, confident, and bubbly to this new version of me that's more quiet, dazed, and apathetic is so terrifying. I'm sorry for sounding melodramatic, but that's really how I feel right now.

Lost,

Are you taking an antidepressant or other medication? They can contribute to this malaise. They are a Catch-22. You may need them to deal with or survive severe anxiety and depression but they can make the depression manifest in a different way.

You have not told us anything about your concussion and any diagnostics or treatment you have received. It will help if you can share more about your situation. We have heard it all. Don't feel like you are dumping on us. That is why we are here and stay around.

My best to you.

Thanks so much for hearing me out - my friends and family are I think tired of hearing me talk about my injury & symptoms.

Nope, no antidepressants yet. I hit my forehead on a glass wall while I was looking down at my phone. No loss of consciousness. I felt lightheaded/dizzy afterwards but didn't think anything of it. The next day, I woke up with a headache and nauseas feeling the next day and before I knew it I was vomiting every ten minutes. Thought I had a stomach virus or something but to my doctor let me know that my head injury had actually been a concussion. I had insomnia, constant headaches, fatigue, ear aches, ringing in ear the first two weeks and then I was feeling a bit better so I went to go see a movie with friends- huge mistake. I totally relapsed and have had headaches again, so now I'm taking it easy.

Something I noticed two weeks after my injury was the depression that had begun to sink in. Slowly everyday I was feeling less and less of anything- no sadness, no happiness, etc. I can laugh at jokes and participate in conversations, meet with friends but I don't feel pleasure. It's very difficult for me to describe- I guess I don't have that physical feeling of warmth or anything for that matter. I feel no compassion either- it is the oddest feeling. Before my concussion, the smallest things would set me off emotionally- a scene in a movie, homeless person on the street, etc. now I feel like a zombie. I guess this could be because I hit my frontal lobe and I'm honestly just praying I feel better.

I went to see a neurologist the first week of my injury and he took it very lightly, almost in a condescending manner. He told me I'll be fine in no time and to just rest and eat properly, etc.- basically things I could easily have found out online. My doctor was worse- he brushed me off completely. He prescribed me hydrocodone/vicadin the first week of my injury for my headaches which I REALLY regret taking- I found out recently that opiate drugs are not good to take for head injuries.

I scheduled an appointment with a therapist for next week for the depression issue. I was hoping to find a neuropsychologist but they're all so busy or don't accept my insurance. I wanted to get a complete evaluation done because I'm just so stressed out (or at least as stressed out as I possibly could be given my weird apathetic state of mind).

As for nutrition, I looked at the Vitamins sticky and will be starting that regimen soon. For now I had only been taking a multivitamin Centrum pill everyday and had cut out caffeine.

Thanks again everyone for hearing me- this is the loneliest I have ever felt.

This is completely normal following concussions. The first 3 months were the worst for me. There isn't much a Doctor can do except monitor your progress and perform cognitive, balance, and physical therapy if you need it. Your best bet for the depression symptoms is the therapist. I saw a therapist for a year following my concussion and it has improved my life for the better. He/she will help you develop strong coping skills and will provide a source for you to vent these overwhelming emotions that come with being hurt, such as the personality changes and the social isolation. My physiatrist considered antidepressants in low doses for me, but I chose to remain drug free. Time, good sleep patterns, healthy eating, and good thoughts are the best things for recovery. Its hard for others to understand that you are injured because their is not a scar or a cast. What doesn't kill you only makes you stronger. Ride it out, it will be tough, but it wont last forever.

I have had the flat, empty feeling. A nothingness feelong in the centre of the brain. Hard to describe. Smile takes more work (i think it may be related to cranial nerve damage!), i do not feel the highs and lows of empotions the way I used too. Flat indeed. I hope this can be recovered, because I loved those intense feelings!

Would something like dream therapy help you? Maybe that would be an alternative to medication, to ask your doctor about.

One article I found:
How to Tame your Nightmares
Therapies Teach Sleepers to Change the Ending of Their Dreams—or Even Take Flight
But there are many, do a search for lucid dreaming and rehearsal therapy.

No shame in meds!
 

I'm so sorry are going through this. I can sort of relate in that my husband has complained that I lost my ability to empathize. I am now regaining it back. Part of that was me protecting myself from feeling the emotions of others, because I could barely stand to feel my own emotions, as they exacerbated my symptoms in the first several months. So maybe this is your body Protecting itself!

I also dealt with a pretty severe bout of depression. As soon as I started feeling really terrible, I went to my doctor and got on an antidepressant. I already knew What I was going to take, because I had a serious depression before I ever had A head injury and had gone through the trial and error process of finding the right one. About a month after starting the antidepressant, I felt like myself again. I will eventually stop taking antidepressants if I can, but I know many people who need to take them for the rest of their lives. There's No shame in it. It's not a personal Failing. It is an illness that can be fatal if not treated. Medication isn't always the right choice, but it can be a life-saving one. It may take a little time and experimentation to figure out the best choice for you. First things first, I would get a new primary care physician. You need someone on your side! Good luck to you!

Concussion and emotions
 

good morning

In January 2012 i experienced a slip on ice and severely banged the back of my head. Got the dizziness, light headiness, head aches etc. Went to hospital and said I had a `miid ` concussion.Was not feeling all that great afterwards and then experienced lack of sleep. It was that way for months until the Fall when i started experiencing more symptoms like irritability, mood swings and lower energy levels and dramatically reduced sex drive.
in december 2012 i went to my family Doctor and she suggested an anti - depressant for treatment. I am a bit of a naturopath so i balked. Instead I went to a reputable person who practices working with the fascial system and said he could help. i went for several visits until late April and because of my schedule etc etc (you know!!) i have not returned.
I have since become more irritable, more impatient, less tolerant etc etc.
And to top it off, I lost my connection with the love of my life and told him we are not working and no longer fit.I seem to have a great deal of trouble articulating, coping with stress etc.
I have been good at masking this from most people as I put on my happy and confident face, but things are changing and I think I am in trouble .


i would so welcome any feedback.

Thank you

Hi MJC1864 :)
I moved the 2nd post you made on this thread to it's own thread, so as to let members respond to you there rather than on this other member's thread....here is the link to your thread so you can check for replies
http://neurotalk.psychcentral.com/thread190403.html

Thank you everyone. I really appreciate it. I miss feeling the highs and lows of life, enjoying music, praying to God from the depths of my soul, empathizing with people, feeling the pleasure of laughter, etc. I can't believe one wrong step of mine could cause me so much damage. I find myself crying almost every morning unable to even get out of bed...I know that's terrible and probably adds to my symptoms but it feels like I have no control anymore over myself. When I do feel something, it's always just negativity and gloom, always about myself. I just wish I could wake up from this nightmare.

You experienced the "flat" feeling your first three months? Were you ever able to feel happy in that period? I can't even when I try. Where did you get hit?

for my input as i concussed from the lower, back of head.
i was actually pretty happy and upbeat for about 10 months and then BOOM!

I hit my forehead on a wall and am now experiencing no emotions except sometimes extreme depression. No nostalgia, no happiness, nothing...it's like some switch turned off.

Is it possible I damaged my thyroid?

And just to add to my last post, this is my first & hopefully only concussion.