A Traumatic Brain Injury

A traumatic brain injury (“TBI”) occurs when the brain is somehow injured, rattled, or wounded from an external source of force. The means of acquisition and the severity of TBIs are unique to each patient; therefore, symptoms and rehabilitation can vary greatly depending on the patient’s condition following the incident and how they sustained the injury. The severity of a TBI is generally classified into one of three categories: mild, moderate, or severe, and this type of diagnostic criteria influences how a patient with TBI is treated by medical staff and rehabilitation specialists. TBIs can affect a specific part of the brain that was directly impacted, leaving the patients with only one or a few areas of impairment, or the damage can be more widespread throughout a larger area of the brain, leading to a greater degree of overall disability. Any person that experiences a large enough magnitude of force on their cranium can acquire a TBI, whether they are a soldier who has experienced combat-related trauma near an explosion, an infant that has been shaken (commonly referred to as “shaken baby syndrome”), or a survivor of a serious motor vehicle accident. Impairments and recovery, both short and long term, can also vary depending on how old the patient was when he or she sustained the injury.

In one research study that aimed to explore the leading causes of traumatic brain injury, individuals were assessed and assigned to three different groups based on the means by which they acquired their injury (Majdan et al. 798). The study had two primary goals: 1) to determine which means of injury resulted in the highest degree of disability, and 2) to determine which group experienced the best outcomes in recovery. The participants were...

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...dditional factors of the cause, severity, and specific area of damage. Retraining the brain to perform tasks that were previously mastered such as speech and self-care activities present both functional and emotional struggles to children and adults, and the effects of both types of impairment can be equally challenging and discouraging. Even after a ten year time period of recovery progression, the ramifications of traumatic brain injuries can still persist in both physical and psychological domains. Appropriate medical, psychological, and social support from physicians, therapists, counselors, families, and peers all play an essential integrative role in the overall well-being of patients who have survived a traumatic brain injury. Thus, the continued study and growing understanding of this complex condition is vital in the fields of both psychology and medicine.