Posted on
February 10, 2009 in
National Academy of Sciences: Long-Term Consequences of Traumatic Brain Injury.
A few findings:
Sufficient evidence of an association between (among other things):
- Moderate to severe TBI and long-term adverse social-function outcomes, particularly unemployment and diminished social relationships.
- TBI and depression.
- TBI and aggressive behaviors.
- TBI and postconcussion symptoms (such as memory problems, dizziness, and irritability).
Limited but suggestive evidence of a link between (among other things):
- Moderate or severe TBI and psychosis.
- TBI and decreased alcohol and drug use in the 1–3 years after injury.
Also interesting: Evidence is of insufficient quantity, quality, consistency, or statistical power to permit a conclusion regarding the existence of an association between mild TBI and long-term adverse social functioning, including unemployment, diminished
social relationships, and decrease in the ability to live independently.
(Mild TBI is manifested as a brief change in mental status or unconsciousness, whereas severe TBI results in an extended period of unconsciousness or amnesia.)
I have a brother-in-law and a client who suffered traumatic brain injuries: my b-i-l in a car wreck and my client in a fight. The most devastating part of the injury, in both cases, was the loss of inhibition and impulse control. No amount of medication has been able to “cure” either one.
Dear Mark, thank you for your post.
I encourage you and all your readers to see this breaking series of articles, under the banner of “COMING HOME,” unfolding at Salon.com:
Mark Waltz, Kenneth Lehman, Chad Barrett
(Staff Sgt. Mark Waltz, Sgt. 1st Class Kenneth P. Lehman, Staff Sgt. Chad Barrett)
The details of three more deaths that might have been prevented
among Fort Carson-based soldiers.
Editor’s note: This is part of the second installment in a weeklong series called “Coming Home.” Read the story of Ryan Alderman’s death here, and his sworn statement, written a week before his death, here. See the introduction to the series here. (Find links to each segment online from the intro page)
https://www.salon.com/news/special/coming_home/2009/02/09/coming_home_intro/ )
By Michael de Yoanna and Mark Benjamin
Feb. 10, 2009 | FORT CARSON, Colo. — In addition to the stories of Adam Lieberman (read here) and Ryan Alderman (read here), Salon examined the cases of three other Fort Carson-based soldiers who committed suicide. A number of common themes emerged. 1) A stigma, within the culture of the Army, against seeking mental healthcare; 2) pressure to deploy soldiers despite medical problems; 3) a failure to diagnose or properly treat combat veterans with post-traumatic stress disorder or brain injuries, despite clear symptoms; 4) a tendency to overmedicate soldiers suffering from either stress disorders or injuries. Lieberman, Alderman and the three soldiers whose suicides are briefly described below all fell prey to one or more of these systemic failures…
https://www.salon.com/news/special/coming_home/2009/02/10/coming_home_two_sidebar/
https://snipurl.com/bpbvv
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I believe these articles provide strong evidence that we are now only beginning to see the start of a decades-long siege and sea of terrible consequences — What do you think?
Thanks for your attention.
Best regards ~ RWS
Hi, Ralph. I agree with you that we’re at the beginning of a long run of terrible TBI consequences.
Readers, if you’re interested in TBI, ask Ralph to put you on his email list. He sends out several links a week to articles about traumatic brain injury.