Seeing Stars is a Serious Deal - Sports-Related Concussions

By Claudia L. Reardon, M.D.

Concussions in athletes have received increased media attention recently.  More and more evidence shows that there can be serious short- and long-term consequences of concussions if athletes return to physical activity too soon.  A concussion is a brain injury and must be treated very seriously. 

How do you know if someone has sustained a concussion?  Signs and symptoms of a concussion after an athlete hits his/her head include:

• Headache
• Nausea/vomiting
• Dizziness
• Vision changes
• Sensitivity to light and sound
• Feeling confused or groggy
• Concentration difficulties
• Inability to remember events before or after the hit
• Mood, behavior, or personality changes

Importantly, most athletes with concussions won’t experience all of these signs and symptoms.  Some of them might not appear for hours or even days.  If you, a coach, a game official, or medical provider suspect a concussion, take the following steps:

• Remove the athlete from the game/practice immediately.
• Seek medical attention.
• Do not return to physical activity until cleared by a physician.  Returning to activity too soon can cause long-term physical and psychiatric problems and even death.
• When returning to play, do so gradually, under the guidance of your health care provider.

Sports participation has many positive physical and mental health benefits for children and adults alike.  In the spirit of competition, athletes and coaches often want to do everything they can to win.  However, if a concussion is suspected, it is not worth it to risk long-term brain damage to stay in the game to help the team.   
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Concussion: Getting Back in the Game?

American Psychiatric Association Healthy Minds blogger and sports psychiatriy expert Claudia Reardon, M.D., discusses concussions in young athletes in this video blog:

The Kids Are Out of School, Now What?

By Gariane Phillips Gunter, M.D.

Summer is here, whoohoo! People of all ages, across the nation are having fun in the sun. However, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) warns that summer also is the time of year consumers are most likely to be injured.

What can you do to keep you and your family safe?


• One of the easiest and most effective ways to stay safe this summer is to wear a helmet and other safety gear when biking, skating and skateboarding, and when riding scooters, all-terrain vehicles, and horses.


• If you are sending the kids to camp, be sure to check out the camp to ensure that your children will be supervised adequately for safety.


• Protect to prevent a swimming pool tragedy. This includes placing barriers completely around your pool to prevent access, using door and pool alarms, closely supervising your child and being prepared in case of an emergency.


• When cooking outdoors with a gas grill, check the air tubes that lead into the burner for any blockage from insects, spiders, or food grease. Check grill hoses for cracking, brittleness, holes, and leaks. Make sure there are no sharp bends in the hose or tubing. If you ever detect a leak, immediately turn off the gas at the tank and don't attempt to light the grill until the leak is fixed. Newer grills and propane tanks have improved safety devices to prevent gas leaks.


• Make sure your home playground is safe. Use safe surfaces that cushion falls. Concrete, asphalt or packed dirt surfaces are too hard.


• Use softer-than standard baseballs, safety-release bases and batting helmets with face guards to reduce baseball-related injuries to children.


• If you are a soccer mom or dad, beware that movable soccer goals can fall over and kill children. Make sure the goal is anchored securely at all times and never allow anyone to climb on the net or goal framework or hang from the cross bar. Remove nets when the goals are not in use.


• To prevent serious injuries while using a trampoline, allow only one person on at a time, and do not allow somersaults. Use a shock-absorbing pad that completely covers the springs and place the trampoline away from structures and other play areas.


• Don't allow a game of hide-n-seek to become deadly. CPSC has received reports of numerous suffocation deaths involving children who crawled inside old cedar chests, latch-type freezers and refrigerators, iceboxes in campers, clothes dryers and picnic coolers. Childproof old appliances, warn children not to play inside them.


• If summer plans include camping and you want heat inside your tent or camper, use one of the new portable heaters that are equipped with an oxygen depletion sensor (ODS). If oxygen levels start to fall inside your tent or camper, the ODS automatically shuts down the heater before it can produce deadly levels of carbon monoxide (CO). Do not attempt to use alternative sources of heat or power to warm a tent or camper. Traditional camping heaters, charcoal grills, camping lanterns, and gas generators also can cause CO poisoning.


• Install window guards to prevent children from falling out of open windows. Guards should be installed in children's bedrooms, parents' bedrooms, and other rooms where young children spend time. Or, install window stops that permit windows to open no more than 4 inches. Whenever possible, open windows from the top - not the bottom. Also, keep furniture away from windows to discourage children from climbing near windows.


• Summer also means yard work. When mowing, keep small children out of the yard, and turn the mower off if children enter the area. Never carry children on a riding mower.


• Although summer schedules can be chaotic, don’t forget to follow up with your mental health provider for appointments as directed!


Have a safe and happy summer!!