A new study about concussions revealed that there is a link between head injury and suicide. Experts found that individuals who suffered from a blow to the head have higher tendencies to commit suicide years after the injury.

Based on the results of the research, the study suggested that the injured person is three times more likely to take his own life following a concussion that was sustained many years before. These findings were published in the Canadian Medical Association Journal (CMAJ) on Monday, Feb. 8.

To carry out the study, researchers gathered and reviewed data of Canadian adults who suffered from concussions from 1992 to 2012. They were able to round up around 235,000 individuals for the research.

Those who suffered from serious cases of concussion or were hospitalized for it were not included in the study. More than half of the participants were males, and their average age was 41.

The doctors followed their lives and were astonished to discover that during the two decade observation period, 677 people out of the 235,000 committed suicide. This is about 31 deaths a year for every 100,000 individuals.

What makes this more surprising is the fact that in the general population in Canada, there are only nine suicide cases for every 100,000 people. This means that the risk of suicide among those who got concussions was three times higher.

"Patients who experienced a concussion were at increased risk of suicide regardless of demographic factors such as age, sex, socioeconomic status or past psychiatric conditions," lead researcher and senior core scientist at the Institute for Clinical Evaluative Sciences Dr. Donald Redelmeier said in a press release. "We also found that each additional concussion was associated with a further increase in suicide risk, and that the risk was higher still when the concussion occurred on a weekend."

But why is a concussion sustained during the weekend worse than one received on a weekday? The study says that the likelihood of the person to commit suicide is four times higher during the weekend.

Dr. Redelmeier said that reason for this is not really clear, but it is likely because when people hurt themselves outside of the workplace, they are not likely to go to a clinic or hospital for a check-up or to seek treatment.

Finally, the importance of an immediate check-up after a head injury was emphasized since the research showed that concussions can have a long-term effect on the brain's health.

"A concussion doesn't do anybody any good. It can injure hundreds and hundreds of neurons inside the skull, every one of which might be important for something. Thus, greater attention to the long-term implications of a concussion might save lives because deaths from suicide can be prevented," Redelmeier explained on Daily Mail UK.