Essay On Tbi

Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is a type of injury that is a critical public health and socio-economic problem. TBI is a leading cause of death and disability in both children and adults [5]. The Centers for Disease Control and

Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) has been studied extensively. The majority of the population has experienced an event that was traumatic enough to potentially cause Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder with it also being common for most people to experience more than one event with the potential to induce Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (Kilpatrick, Resnick, Milanak, Miller, Keyes, Friedman, 2013). Studies have shown that veterans diagnosed with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder show an escalation in the anxiety levels that is much greater than soldiers that have not been diagnosed with PTSD as well as higher than the general fit population (Olatunji, Armstrong, Fan, & Zhao, 2014).

Medical and technological advances have led to greater survival rates in individuals suffering from various illness and injury throughout history. This includes individuals who suffer traumatic and nontraumatic brain injuries. Approximately 1.5 million people in the United States sustain a brain injury each year with the survival rate of over 90 percent making brain injury the leading cause for disability in the United States. (Mysiw, Bogner, Corrigan, Fugate, Clinchot, & Kadyan 2006). Cognitive, physical, sensory and behavioral changes are widely noted in individuals in the months and years following a brain injury. However, the psychosocial, psychological and emotional effects of these injuries are less discussed and therefore these aspects can be overlooked when anticipating a course of treatment. Individuals who sustain acquired brain injuries experience significant, lasting impairment in the psychosocial, psychological and emotional aspects of their lives and better understanding of these issues can lead to better treatment and coping skills for these individuals.

The participants for this research project were recruited from treatment facilities throughout Eastern Europe and the Baltic regions; initial data was collected from participants while they were still in the intensive care unit, and then every three months until one year following discharge from ICU. Each participant was analyzed for the severity of their TBI on the basis of a number of different factors, including whether or not they required surgery and the amount of time they spent in the hospital immediately following the incident (Madjan et al. 798). After gathering information on how the patients were progressing with recovery one year post-incident, the researchers compared the causes of the TBI to pinpoint similarities in recovery among all the different groups, and they also evaluated which particular means of trauma produced the most disability for the patients, both within and between groups. In the traffic- related incidents category, drivers appeared to sustain more serious injuries to the brain than passengers, pedestrians, or cyclists; in the falls category, falls from a height greater than three meters resulted in the most severe damage; and in the miscellaneous category, patients who had survived gunshot wounds generally acquired more extensive damage than other participants in the group (Madjan et al. 800). The next set of data illustrated which of these categories resulted in the

Since the military and VA healthcare systems are familiar with the high prevalence rate of PTSD among combat veterans, Capehart and Bass (2012) sought to address four primary objectives related to managing comorbid PTSD and TBI: cognitive problems, blast as an injury source for TBI, diagnosis and management of PTSD in the setting of mTBI, and management of additional neuropsychiatric comorbidity in the combat veteran with PTSD and mTBI. Although no clear guide exists on the simultaneous management of these conditions and managing PTSD and TBI remains challenging for the Dpartment of Defense (DOD) and VA clinicians in mental health and primary care, the researchers suggest that using psychotherapy, pharmacotherapy,

The above mentioned research study did not control for the age of traumatic brain injury patients in such a way that patients could be compared on this basis. Research on brain damage (due to traumatic brain injury, substance abuse, and other means of neurological harm) and the effects of age on the likelihood of extensive recovery has been conducted over the past several decades in the fields of both medicine and psychology, and conflicting evidence exists. Some studies suggest that young brains are more vulnerable to irreversible brain damage due to the underdevelopment of neurons and brain structures, while other studies indicate that the brains of older individuals are less “plastic” than in younger individuals, making them less resilient to damage. To study the outcomes of pediatric traumatic brain injury as opposed to traumatic brain injury in adulthood, Catroppa et al. conducted research on children that had suffered a TBI between the ages of one and seven years. Participants were recruited

Interdisciplinary team work is extremely important to ensure patients receive quality care that meets their individual needs (Nancarrow, et al, 2013). To achieve this a group of health care professionals work together by bringing their different professions, assessments and evaluations together in order to design a care plan for treatment of the patient (Korner, 2010). For example if a patient is dealing with a mental health disorder such as depression or schizophrenia, the interdisciplinary team would consist of the doctor, nurse, psychologist, psychiatrist, pharmacist and neurologist. The roles and responsibilities of each team member must be based on their scope of practice including the assessment of the patient, the treatment to be given,

The Brain Injury Alliance of Washington (BIAWA) is a non-profit organization that offers FREE Support and Case Management Services to caregivers & individuals (both pediatric and adult) living with Brain Injury. In addition, BIAWA remains on the frontlines of public awareness, extending arms to both community and professionals in hopes to strengthen the spectrum of support available to the individuals and families we serve. Through dedication and commitment BIAWA has boots on the ground, covering over 90% of TBI incidence in Washington State.

Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, or as many know by the abbreviation PTSD, is a complex mental issue that affects several every day. People that know of post-traumatic stress disorder tend to connect it to military personnel. In recent years, PTSD has been diagnosed in people who have endured other types of high-stress experiences as well (Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)). In 1980, the American Psychiatric Association (APA) added PTSD to the third edition of its Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-III). Although PTSD was recognized as a mental disorder in 1980, in the 1800’s doctors began to notice that soldiers were “exhausted” from war and would experience mental shutdowns and similar symptoms of

Individuals who survive a TBI can face disabilities for the rest of their lives, with symptoms including:

The rehabilitation for people with traumatic brain injury is put into three different stages for medical care (Ross 40). These three stages are: inpatient, community integration, and lifetime of care. Each person’s rehabilitation process is different with the way they go through care. The healing process can last for months, or sometimes years. Those that go through the rehabilitation program function better than those that don’t. The two major goals are relearning and compensation.

According to the Center for Disease Control, every year approximately 1.4 million people are victims of a traumatic brain injury (Reeves and Panguluri, 2011). Furthermore, the World Health Organization estimates that traumatic brain injuries will be the leading cause of death by the year 2020 (Ganesalingam et al, 2006). Although this is pervasive societal issue, the vast majority of experiments on this issue focuses on adults, although fatalities are higher amongst adolescents. As a result of their injury, children with traumatic brain injuries experience cognitive deficits which hamper their academic, social and behavioral functionalities. The following literature review examines the causes of traumatic brain injuries in adolescents, behavioral

Post-traumatic stress were documented as early as the Civil War., yet only did it during World War I and II become known, it was known as “shell shock” or “battle fatigue”. Although they didn’t quite understand it yet, it was thought that shrapnel entered the brain during battle explosions and caused small brain hemorrhages. When symptoms occurred in war veterans who had not been exposed to explosions, it was then often viewed as a character flaw. In the 1970s, during and after the Vietnam War, post-traumatic stress received more serious research and documentation. In 1989, the National Center for Post-traumatic Stress Disorder was established in the U.S. About 5 percent of men and 10 percent of women in the United States have PTSD. In women, the

The disabilities that result from moderate to severe TBI differ depending on the area of injury, but they may include difficulties in speech, coordination, bilateral function, memory, complex thinking, and other areas (Murrey, 2006). Emotional and social areas are also affected by TBI due to changes in familial roles, lowered self-esteem, and hopelessness brought on by the injury (Murrey, 2006). Because of this, suicide rates in these patients are remarkably high, with 33% of patients at risk (León-Carriòn et al., 2005). Recovery in TBI patients may occur spontaneously throughout the two years following the trauma (León-Carrión et al., 2005). Beyond this point, remaining disabilities are usually permanent (León-Carrión et al., 2005).

Those against mandatory exercise say that if students feel it is important to exercise they will create a program of physical activity on their own and it does not need to be a part of the school. The problem with this theory is that the majority of people would stop the program if left on their own without any sort of accountability. For example, a study was done on several different exercise plans to see what results would happen over time. First the theoretical approach of self-monitoring was used. This program left individuals to attend exercise sessions on their own without any intervention from others. The overall observation was that interest in attending and exercising was lost after about four weeks. Next the approach of stages of change was used. This program used four different groups. One group received weekly calls with structured inquiry to see how and when the subjects were personally exercising. The second group received weekly calls with general inquiries about their exercise habits. The third group received a call every three weeks with general inquiries of exercise, and the last group received calls every three weeks with structured inquiries. The results were, that 63% of the subjects who were called more frequently were regularly exercising as opposed to only the 22% exercising success rate of those that were called less frequently. Also those called with the structured