Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI)
What is it?
- Caused by a blow or jolt to the head, or
- Penetration by a foreign object
- Disrupts normal brain function
Mild Brain Injury:
- Loss of consciousness shorter than 30 minutes, and/or
- Confusion and disorientation for less than 30 minutes, and/or
- MRI and CAT scans look normal, and/or
- Cognitive problems such as difficulty thinking, memory problems, mood swings
Severe Brain Injury:
- Loss of consciousness for more than 30 minutes, and/or
- Memory loss lasting more than 24 hours, and/or
- Arm and leg function compromised
- Abnormal speech or language problems
- Loss of thinking ability or emotional problems
The leading causes of TBI are...
- Falls (28%)
- Motor vehicle-traffic crashes (20%)
- Struck by/against events (19%)
- Assaults (11%)
What does it look like?
- Difficult remembering, concentrating, making decisions
- Difficulty organizing, prioritizing, sequencing
- Slowness in thinking, speaking, acting, reading
- Getting lost or easily confused
- Feeling tired all of the time, having no energy, motivation
- Mood changes (feeling sad or angry for no reason)
- Light-headedness, dizziness, loss of balance
- Increased sensitivity to lights, sounds, distractions
- Blurred vision or eyes that tire easily
Also see Academic Tips for Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI)