In clinical practice, psychiatric morbidity often seems to complicate rehabilitation after traumatic brain injury (TBI). The aim of this study was to evaluate the occurrence of psychiatric disorders at 12 months after TBI.

Thirty-eight subjects had been referred to Turku University Hospital because of a recent TBI. Psychiatric disorders were assessed with the Schedules for Clinical Assessment in Neuropsychiatry (SCAN, version 2.1).

Six subjects (15.8%) had a psychiatric disorder with onset after TBI. The rates of these disorders were as follows: major depressive disorder 7.9%, depressive disorder not otherwise specified 5.3%, and posttraumatic stress disorder 2.6%. During the 12-month period before TBI, a psychiatric disorder could be diagnosed retrospectively in 14 subjects (36.8%). The most common disorders were alcohol dependence (18.4%) and major depressive disorder (10.5%). When disorders with onset before TBI and after TBI were considered together, 44.7% of the patients had psychiatric morbidity during the first 12 months after TBI. The lifetime rate of psychiatric disorders was as high as 65.8%.

During the first 12 months after TBI, the development of psychiatric disorders was less common than expected. However, depressive disorders were prevalent. Before TBI, alcohol use disorders were frequently found. As the occurrence of psychiatric disorders seems to be high in individuals with TBI, a need for psychiatric evaluation should be kept in mind when treating patients after TBI.