From Don Parent Publisher of this website and aurthor of “The Warzone PTSD Survivors Guide”

Traumatic Brain Injury is an issue I have dealt with. My problems with it happened after my Military Service. Mine was caused by a mistake in judgment on my part. I had picked up a couple of hitch hikers after dropping off a baby sitter late one evening.

They started by pulling a knife and a gun on me. The final straw was when they started talking about making me squeal like a pig. I decided to bail out of my car. I was going faster than I thought and instead of running really fast I spun like a top.

The last thing I heard from the jerk in the back seat was “What do you mean Goodbye!”

I ended up with a skull fracture and a brain concussion. I also lost my sense of smell from it. I already had been suffering from war zone PTSD and this just added to the whole mess my mind was in.

I was fortunate that I was crazy enough to jump out as these same guys ended up raping a woman and killing her boyfriend several months later.

I do have issues with some short term memory loss when I am in a conversations I struggle with names and events.

Here is a link to an important TBI Article:                                                         http://www.mentalhealth.va.gov/docs/tbi.pdf

What is a traumatic brain injury?

A traumatic brain injury (TBI) is defined as a blow or jolt to the head or a penetrating head injurythat disrupts the function of the brain. Not all blows or jolts to the head result in a TBI. The severity of such an injury may range from "mild," i.e., a brief change in mental status or consciousness to "severe," i.e., an extended period of unconsciousness or amnesia after the injury. ATBI can result in short or long-term problems with independent function.

Traumatic Brain Injury Facts:

How many people have TBI?

Of the 1.7 million who sustain a TBI each year in the United States:

52,000 die;

275,000 are hospitalized; and

1.365 million are treated and released from an emergency department.

The number of people with TBI who are not seen in an emergency department or who receive no care is unknown.

What causes TBI?

The leading causes of TBI are:

Falls (35.2%);

Motor vehicle-traffic crashes (17.3%);

Struck by/against events (16.5%);

Assaults (10%); and

Unknown/Other (21%). 

Blasts are a leading cause of TBI for active duty military personnel in war zones.

Who is at highest risk for TBI?

Males are about 1.5 times as likely as females to sustain a TBI.

The two age groups at highest risk for TBI are 0 to 4 year olds and 15 to 19 year olds.

Certain military duties (e.g., paratrooper) increase the risk of sustaining a TBI.

African Americans have the highest death rate from TBI.¹

What are the costs of TBI?

Direct medical costs and indirect costs such as lost productivity of TBI totaled an estimated $60 billion in the United States in 2000.

What are the long-term consequences of TBI?

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that at least 5.3 million Americans currently have a long-term or lifelong need for help to perform activities of daily living as a result of a TBI.⁵

According to one study, about 40% of those hospitalized with a TBI had at least one unmet need for services one year after their injury. The most frequent unmet needs were:

Improving memory and problem solving;

Managing stress and emotional upsets;

Controlling one's temper; and

Improving one's job skills.

TBI can cause a wide range of functional changes affecting thinking, language, learning, emotions, behavior, and/or sensation. It can also cause epilepsy and increase the risk for conditions such as Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, and other brain disorders that become more prevalent with age.

Collaborating Organizations

Brain Injury Association of America
www.biausa.org
800-444-6443

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
www.cdc.gov
800-311-3435

Defense and Veterans Brain Injury Center
www.dvbic.org
800-870-9244

Health Resources and Services Administration
www.hrsa.gov
301-443-3376

National Association of State Head Injury Administrators
www.nashia.org
301-656-3500

National Brain Injury Research Treatment and Training Foundation
www.nbirtt.org
434-220-4824

National Center for Medical Rehabilitation Research, NICHD, NIH
www.nichd.nih.gov/about/ncmrr
800-370-2943

National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research
www.ed.gov/about/offices/list/osers/nidrr
202-245-7640

National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, NIH
www.ninds.nih.gov
800-352-9424

North American Brain Injury Society
www.nabis.org
703-960-6500

Social Security Administration
www.ssa.gov
800-772-1213

You can ask your questions anonymously on our message boards at:

http://www.ptsdhotline.com/forum/forum.php

There you will find the specific message board relating to TBI’s:                                            http://www.ptsdhotline.com/forum/forumdisplay.php/19-Traumatic-Brain-Injury

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