Concussion causes immediate, but usually temporary, brain dysfunction. Concussions can be mild or severe, but they’re always serious.

Most people will recover from a concussion, and it’s rare for patients to have permanent injury from at least a single concussion. But patients can be disabled by concussion symptoms for many weeks or months after the initial concussion.

Common symptoms of concussion include headache, poor sleep, neck pain, dizziness, ringing in the ears, blurred vision, nausea and vomiting and changes in mood.

Although research is progressing around concussion, there remain very few proven treatments. The primary treatment centers around rest - not just physical rest, but also intellectual or cognitive rest.

Treatment of the emotional symptoms associated with concussion is often neglected, and there is some evidence that psychological therapy, like cognitive restructuring and reattribution can be quite effective in treating patients’ emotional symptoms.