# Every Four-Legged Animal is Not a Dog: Investigating Concussive Symptoms in a Non-Concussed Psychiatric Sample

## TL;DR

This study shows that symptoms often linked to concussions are also common in people with psychiatric disorders, especially those with multiple mental health issues.

## Contribution

The study demonstrates that post-concussion-like symptoms are prevalent in psychiatric populations, not just those with neurological trauma.

## Key findings

- Participants with complex psychiatric disorders reported the highest post-concussion symptom scores.
- Mean RPQ scores in psychiatric groups exceeded those in healthy controls and a mild TBI sample.
- PCS-like symptoms are not unique to neurological trauma but are common in psychiatric populations.

## Abstract

Persistent somatic, cognitive, and psychological symptoms following an uncomplicated mild traumatic brain injury are often attributed to post-concussion syndrome. However, existing research demonstrates that non-concussed populations also report high base rates of such symptoms. In this study, archival data from 131 individuals with psychiatric diagnoses were analyzed using the Rivermead Post-Concussion Symptoms Questionnaire. Participants were classified into trauma- and anxiety-related disorders, somatic symptom and related disorders, or complex psychiatric disorders. Nonparametric tests were conducted to examine group differences in RPQ total and symptom cluster scores. Significant differences were observed across diagnostic groups, with the complex psychiatric disorders group endorsing the highest total and cluster scores. Across all psychiatric groups, mean RPQ total scores exceeded those reported in multicultural healthy controls and a mTBI sample. The present study demonstrates that PCS-like symptoms are not unique to neurological trauma but are strongly endorsed across psychiatric populations, particularly among individuals with multiple psychiatric comorbidities.