A new Canadian study suggests that teens who have had a head injury with a concussion are twice as likely to be victims of school bullying or bullying, Pannochka, an online publication for girls and women aged 14 to 35, reports.. net They are three times more likely to attempt suicide and nearly three times more likely to be threatened with a gun at school compared to peers who have never experienced such trauma.

Study lead author Gabriela Ilie, a professor at the University of Toronto and a staff member at St. Michael's Hospital, says teens who have suffered traumatic brain injury are more likely to have other bad experiences in the future:.

• Run away from home.

• Fight at school.

• Commit arson.

• Carry a weapon.

• Taking a car without permission.

• Become bullies or gang members.

• Damage private and public property.

• Participate in break-ins with penetration.

• Sell street drugs.

• Engage in other risky activities.

• Ask for help on the hotline.

• Take antidepressants and anti-anxiety drugs.

A study published in PLoS One is the first to show an association between traumatic brain injury and poor mental health outcomes in adolescents based on population data..

Professor Ilie says: “Our results show that preventable brain injury, mental health and behavioral problems in adolescents continue to be a blind spot in our culture.. These kids are very vulnerable."

For their study, Ilie and her colleagues used data from the 2011 Ontario Student Drug Use and Health Survey (OSDUHS). Developed by the Center for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH) in Toronto, this study is now one of the longest-running population-based studies of school health in the world.. It was completed by nearly 9,000 children from grades 7 to 12 who attended public schools throughout the province of Ontario..

Although it started as a study on drug use, OSDUHS is now considered the most comprehensive study of adolescent health and well-being and includes, among other things, questions about past traumatic brain injury - exactly what Professor Ilie's group needed..

Improve prevention of brain injury in adolescents.

Co-author Dr. Robert Mann, Director of OSDUHS and Senior Scientist at CAMH, says they already knew from previous analysis of OSDUHS data that 1 in 5 teens in Ontario had experienced a traumatic brain injury (TBI) at some point in their lives..

He adds: “The relationship between TBI and mental health problems is very worrisome and requires us to do more research on this issue and more focus on prevention.”.

Professor Ilie says that teenagers at this age make a lot of effort trying to figure out who they are and what they should do with their lives.. Past traumatic brain injury can worsen any behavioral and mental problems they already have.. Parents, doctors, teachers and coaches should be vigilant when looking after young people with traumatic brain injury.

“In addition, since many traumatic brain injuries occur during outdoor activities and sports, the risk of such consequences could be significantly reduced by wearing protective helmets and equipment and eliminating power moves,” added Professor Ilie.

Power moves are risky moves used in contact team games such as hockey and lacrosse, which are popular in Canada, where a player uses brute force to steal a ball or puck from an opponent..

In a very fast game, such as hockey, this leads to dangerous collisions with opponents with great strength.. There are attempts to combat this practice - in May 2013 Hockey Canada voted to ban power moves for players under 13 because studies show they significantly increase the risk of brain injury..

One 1993 study at St. Michael's Hospital used data from the Canadian Hospitals Injury Reporting and Prevention Program.. Scientists have found that hockey accounts for almost half of all traumatic brain injuries in children participating in organized sports.. Data was collected from emergency departments across Canada.

Much of the funding for the new study comes from the Canadian Institute of Health Research, the Ontario Neurotrauma Foundation, the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council, the Scientific Council of Public and.

In May 2013, Western publications also reported that the National Center for Veterans Research found a link between traumatic brain injury and a high risk of suicide in the military, and that this risk was higher among those who at one time received multiple brain injuries..

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