What We Miss When We Talk About CTE Only After Violence
The recent tragic shooting in New York has once again pushed Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE) into the national conversation — this time under a cloud of violence and confusion.
The alleged gunman claimed to be suffering from CTE, a condition most commonly associated with repeated blows to the head in contact sports. And while the connection between brain trauma and behavioral change is real, it’s also deeply misunderstood — especially when it’s used to justify acts of violence.
One of the leading voices working to clarify that misunderstanding is Dr. J. Patrick Johnson, a renowned neurosurgeon and concussion specialist who has spent decades on the front lines of brain injury prevention and recovery. He’s served as a sideline concussion doctor for the NFL, and currently leads spinal and neurosurgical programs at Cedars-Sinai in Los Angeles.
“Some idiot will say, ‘Oh, see — she’s faking it, she remembers all of that,’” said Dr. Johnson during an appearance on Dr. Phil. “No — that’s because they don’t know what the hell they’re talking about. Let’s go hit them in the head, spin them around, and see if they can walk. Then call them a faker. You don’t understand how it works.”
In that episode, Dr. Johnson was discussing a young woman recovering from a traumatic brain injury — what’s technically referred to as a mild TBI, though its effects are anything but mild. As he explained, the human brain has remarkable capacity to adapt and recover, particularly in children and teens. But it also reacts strongly to trauma, especially trauma that’s emotionally charged. And the damage isn’t always visible from the outside.
That’s why Dr. Johnson, and others like him, have long cautioned against dismissing the long-term consequences of repeated head trauma. His work isn’t just about treating the worst-case scenarios — it’s about preventing them in the first place.
CTE and concussion-related damage aren’t problems we can afford to politicize, weaponize, or sensationalize. They’re medical realities. And the more we listen to the doctors actually doing the work, the better chance we have of protecting young athletes, veterans, and anyone exposed to repeated trauma — long before headlines force the conversation.
J. Patrick Johnson, MD is a renowned neurosurgeon specializing in spinal disorders and has served as the Director of the Institute for Spinal Disorders at Cedars Sinai Medical Center since 2001 and previously as the Director of the UCLA Comprehensive Spine Center from 1993-2001.
This article is offered as informational only and not to be used as a substitute for professional medical advice.