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Nathan Rudolph
Mrs. DeBock
Research Paper
3 March 2016

People should pay more attention to concussions and mental illness

A concussion is an injury to the brain area of the head that causes severe damage. Over
the years doctors have been trying to find out ways to prevent concussions. While experiencing a
concussion one may have multiple symptoms. Concussions can cause mental illness and affect
parts of the brain. People should be more aware about concussions and the mental illness caused
from it.

Concussions can cause multiple symptoms that can affect the body and the brain. Studies
have shown that doctors found out concussions can go as far as even affecting the immune
system. When disrupting the immune system it can cause additional trauma(Wood 2) It can
cause one to have symptoms such as migraines, major headaches, blurriness in the eyes, and
even memory loss. Jim McMahon had suffered multiple concussions over his football career
and today he constantly forgets things daily(McClafferty 36).

Concussions have affected multiple sports career for athletes. Jim McMahon was one of
them. He had several concussions over his fifteen year career. Having multiple concussions can
damage the brain badly and affect certain areas of the brain. This would cause people to have
random migraines and headaches. Concussions can cause athletes to end their careers and leave

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them permanently damaged. After that what do they do? They can not do much because in some
cases their brains are permanently damaged and would affect them in the future.

Researchers have done comparisons of human brains to brains of woodpeckers.

Woodpecker craniums are prepared for multiple impacts. The hyoid bone system wraps all the
way around the skull(Piazza 3). Researchers also have put concussions into categories based on
certain symptoms. They have also tried to cooperate with sports associations to change headgear
like helmets to concussion specialized helmets. Studies have shown that in cases concussions
could lead to suicide or suicidal thoughts. Impact to the brain could disrupt the bbb system
causing intracranial pressure in the brain. That could lead to people feeling dizzy and feeling like
their brain is literally about to explode. People take medicine for this when in many cases the
medicine is not the way to go and they would need to go to a doctor.

CONCLUSION
People should be more aware about concussions and how they affect people. People
should realize that concussions could go as far as taking ones life. Researchers are trying to find
ways to prevent it and take care of one who has a concussion. It is still not enough, people are
still being affected permanently even when researchers have the money and are close in their
studies to maybe permanently prevent concussions and help heal people. Researchers have not
discovered a permanent way to modify helmets and headgear for sports that would be able to
permanently prevent concussions.

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Works Cited
McClafferty, Carla Killough. Fourth Down And Inches : Concussions And Football's Make-OrBreak Moment. n.p.: Minneapolis, MN : Carolrhoda Books, [2013], 2013. Destiny Library
Resources. Web. 18 Feb. 2016.
Piazza, Stephen. "Why Is It So Hard To Stop Sports Concussions?." American Scientist 102.5
(2014): 346. Advanced Placement Source. Web. 17 Feb. 2016.
Wood, Sara. "Traumatic Brain Injury: Recognition And Treatment Options For Mild Injury And
What Can We Learn From Failed Clinical Trials."Townsend Letter 389 (2015): 44-47. Alt
HealthWatch. Web. 25 Feb. 2016.