Traumatic brain injury (TBI), also called acquired brain injury or simply head injury, occurs when a sudden trauma causes damage to the brain. TBI can result when the head suddenly and violently hits an object, or when an object pierces the skull and enters brain tissue.
Symptoms of a TBI can be mild, moderate, or severe, depending on the extent of the damage to the brain.
A person with a mild TBI may remain conscious or may experience a loss of consciousness for a few seconds or minutes. Other symptoms of mild TBI include headache, confusion, lightheadedness, dizziness, blurred vision or tired eyes, ringing in the ears, bad taste in the mouth, fatigue or lethargy, a change in sleep patterns, behavioral or mood changes, and trouble with memory, concentration, attention, or thinking.
A person with a moderate or severe TBI may show these same symptoms, but may also have a headache that gets worse or does not go away, repeated vomiting or nausea, convulsions or seizures, an inability to awaken from sleep, dilation of one or both pupils of the eyes, slurred speech, weakness or numbness in the extremities, loss of coordination, and increased confusion, restlessness, or agitation.
See the following website for more information: http://www.ninds.nih.gov/disorders/tbi/tbi.htm
The brain can also be damaged from emotional trauma. There is some evidence from PET scans that the brains of those who have PTSD look different from those of people without PTSD. Also, after successful therapy, the brains of those with PTSD look more like those who never had PTSD.
This speaks to the probability that the trauma itself caused changes in the brain. Similar evidence has been found in PET scans of infants who have experienced severe neglect. I wouldn't say that the symptoms one sees in severe neglect or PTSD were symptoms of the brain damage itself, although it is possible that they are. There is just not enough evidence at this point to prove it.
Hope Makes Healing Possible!
Patricia Sherman, Ph.D., LCSW
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