TBI patient discusses struggle with depression, anxiety

Amy Zellmer fell on a patch of ice last year and was diagnosed with a severe concussion. She had no idea the emotional struggle she would face following her injury. Zellmer opened up recently about her struggles following her traumatic brain injury in an article posted to The Good Men Project website. While TBI symptoms […]

Amy Zellmer fell on a patch of ice last year and was diagnosed with a severe concussion. She had no idea the emotional struggle she would face following her injury. Zellmer opened up recently about her struggles following her traumatic brain injury in an article posted to The Good Men Project website.

While TBI symptoms are different for everyone, feelings of isolation, loneliness, and depression are common. Zellmer says in the article that it can be a very lonely, painful place. A misunderstood place. And no one is talking about it.

“I had no idea the journey that laid ahead — the ups and downs — and the feeling of moving backwards instead of forward,” she says in the article. “Also, I feel isolated — that no one understands, or even believes, what I’m going through.”

Zellmer was originally told that the symptoms from her severe concussion would go away within a few weeks. She said she remembers feeling very emotional in the weeks that followed, crying at the drop of a hat and feeling overwhelming sadness for no apparent reason.

“I rarely wanted to leave the house, as public places were too loud and over-stimulating. In the rare instance that I did go out with friends, I would have this feeling in the pit of my stomach that I couldn’t figure out,” she said. “I would have a hard time breathing, and would be fighting back tears most of the time. I usually ended up leaving early with an excuse that I was getting a headache — although that was often the truth.”

About 10 months later, she realized her symptoms weren’t getting any better. In fact, she was experiencing new ones. She was falling into a deeper depression; feeling overwhelmed by the constant pain, and was anxious and fearful of falling again.

“I was over protective of my body. Often I would not leave my house, all the while reasoning in my head that I could not get hurt again if I didn’t go near the icy sidewalks,” she said in the article.

Zellmer said she had not experienced anxiety prior to her accident , but now she was experiencing panic attacks. She wasn’t sure what was happening to her and she had no idea how to control it. She spent a lot of time in bed or staring blankly at the television screen.

“ Now that I am aware of what that feeling was, I am better able to manage it. However, at times it still gets a grip on me, and will paralyze me to the core with fear.”

Zellmer found that meditation and yoga help her to curb anxiety and the effects that come with panic attacks such as tightness in her chest. She’s also recognized triggers, like the first snow each year. She attends regular therapy sessions that are helping her to cope with her fears.

“There truly is light at the end of the tunnel, and when we are stuck in a dark place, it is challenging to see that,” she said.