Psychiatrist Says Traumatic Brain Injury Is A ‘Silent Epidemic’ Linked to Violence Like Louisville Shooting

Reports that Louisville shooter Connor Sturgeon sustained multiple concussions as a student athlete, and even wore a head guard as a varsity basketball player, have prompted discussion of the connection between head injuries and violence. Sturgeon, 25, killed at least five people and injured several others on Monday at Old National Bank in Louisville, Ky., where was previously employed. Dr. Daniel Amen, a psychiatrist and founder of Amen Clinics, has spent more than 30 years working with sophisticated brain imaging, including the scans of more than 100 murderers. “Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is the silent epidemic associated with depression, addiction, suicide, and homicide,” Dr. Amen said. “Three million cases are reported each year.” Amen said that few people know about the connection between psychiatric problems and traumatic brain injury because psychiatrists don’t look at the brain. “After studying the brain for more than 30 years with the world’s largest database of brain scans for psychiatry, one of the most important lessons I learned is that traumatic brain injury is a major cause of psychiatric problems,” Amen said. Noting that the Louisville gunman had multiple concussions, Dr. Amen stressed that injury to certain regions of the brain associated with violence should always be assessed. “If we are ever going to understand the continuing assault violence on our society, it is important to ask why this happens,” Amen said. “Damage to the frontal and temporal lobe regions of the brain are a major cause of violence, and should always be assessed.” TMX contributed to this story.