TBI Quintuples the Risk of Depression in Normal Children

On October 25, 2013 Matthew C. Wylie, MD, presented a paper to the American Academy of Pediatrics called “Depression in Children Diagnosed with Brain Injury or Concussion.” Using data from the 2007 National Survey of Children’s Health, Dr. Wylie identified more than 2,000 children with brain injuries, reflecting the national child brain injury rate of 1.9 percent in 2007; and 3,112 children with diagnosed depression, mirroring the 3.7 percent national child depression rate that year. Compared to other children, 15 percent of those with brain injuries or concussions were diagnosed as depressed — a 4.9 fold increase in the odds of diagnosed depression. According to Dr. Wylie: “After adjustment for known predictors of depression in children like family structure, developmental delay and poor physical health, depression remained two times more likely in children with brain injury or concussion.”