Risk-Taking and Its Consequences for Brain Injury

Impaired judgment  

• • Alcohol and drug use increase the risk of injuries to the head due to poor coordination and decision-making
  • Unsafe sports participation or risky behavior when intoxicated, like drunk driving, raise brain injury risk

Participating in high-risk activities

• • Fast driving or reckless behavior
  • Extreme sports like skateboarding and rock climbing
  • Contact sports like football and hockey

Workplace and physical risks

• • Some risk-takers work in high-danger jobs, like construction or firefighting, increasing exposure to head trauma

• • Risk-takers often act without fully evaluating danger, leading to falls, crashes, or accidents
  • Many concussions in the past

• • Risk-takers ignore prior injuries, leading to repeated concussions that cause long-term brain damage like Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy

For a brief moment, do you know what Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy is? CTE is the long-term brain injury that’s a progressive brain disease caused by many head injuries, including concussions and mild traumatic brain injuries. Along the way, these multiple hits to the head lead to brain cell damage, mood changes, difficulty thinking clearly, and memory.

People at highest risk include:

• Athletes
• Military personnel
• People with multiple TBIs from accidents, falls, or abuse
• Workers in high-risk professions like law enforcement or construction workers

CTE causes a harmful amount of protein, which circulates through the brain and damages nerve cells, leading to brain shrinkage, loss of brain connections, making thinking and movement harder, and mood and behavior changes, including depression and impulse control issues.

Symptoms of CTE develop slowly, often appear years or decades after repeated brain injuries. The disease worsens over time, leading to severe cognitive and emotional challenges.

Stage 1–Mild symptoms which are often Ignored

• Difficulty with concentration.
• Slight mood swings
• Occasional headaches
• Mild memory lapses like misplacing things

Stage 2–Moderate symptoms affecting daily life

• More impulsivity
• Increased memory issues
• Enhanced difficulty with problem-solving or decision-making 
• Depression, anxiety, or paranoia which becomes worse

Stage 3–Severe cognitive and behavioral withdrawal

• Slurred speech or trouble walking
• Severe confusion and difficulty recognizing people
• Suicidal thoughts or severe depression
• Aggressive behavior and extreme mood swings or tremors

Right now, CTE can only be diagnosed after a person dies by examining the brain. However, researchers are developing brain scans and biomarkers to detect early signs in survivors of CTE. Doctors may suspect possible CTE if a person has:

• A history of repeated head injuries.
• Traits of progressive memory loss, mood changes, or movement problems.

There is no cure for CTE, but symptoms can be managed to improve the quality of life:

• Therapy, medication, and lifestyle changes to reduce depression and aggression
• Use helmets and avoid unnecessary risks
• Rest and fully recover before returning to activities
• Reduce unnecessary hits in contact sports
• Exercises to improve memory, focus, and problem-solving
• Physical therapy aids with movement issues and coordination
• Diet, sleep, and exercise support brain health and slower decline

With an ironic twist, a brain injury can make a person even more impulsive and risk-taking by damaging the brain’s frontal lobe, which controls decision-making and self-restraint. And people with a past brain injury may:

• Have difficulty evaluating danger and making good choices
• Feel less fear or awareness of risky situations
• Struggle with impulse control, leading to more accidents

If you find yourself acting impulsively or taking unnecessary risks after your brain injury, there are ways to improve self-control, decision-making, and safety awareness. Many of these strategies help compensate for frontal lobe damage, which can make it harder to assess danger or control impulses. You might:

• Pause and think before acting
• Brain injuries can make quick decisions feel automatic, even if they’re unsafe. To slow down:
  • STOP: Before making a decision, take a deep breath.
  • THINK: Ask, “What could go wrong? Is this safe?”
  • DECIDE: Choose the safest option, even if it’s not the most exciting one.
  • COUNT to 10 before acting – This creates space to rethink impulsive choices.

Common triggers might be:

• Remind yourself that past injuries do not mean you’re unstoppable
• Avoid the alcohol or stimulants since they might reduce judgment
• Find safe activities if you’re bored like puzzles and music
• Recognize peer pressure in social situations
• Avoid making big choices when exhausted, so wait until you feel rested
• Poor sleep leads to more impulsive decisions

Seek Professional Support If Needed:

• A neuropsychologist – Helps with decision-making and impulse control
• A therapist – Teaches emotional regulation to reduce impulsivity
• A brain injury support group – Connects you with others managing similar challenges

Brad Paisley, the country star and heartthrob, once said, “I don’t want to do risky. I want to do important. And lovable. Important and lovable.”

That guy has the right idea!