Post-traumatic headache is one of the most common symptoms following mild and moderate head injury. Psychological factors are believed to play a role in the cause, maintenance and relief from chronic post-traumatic headache. This research evaluated the effectiveness of a multi-dimensional cognitive-behavioural approach towards rehabilitation of post-traumatic headaches. The sample included 20 participants with post-traumatic headaches from an original sample of 41. Participants acted as their own controls. Outcome measures consisted of self-rating questionnaires to assess headache severity, intensity, duration, functioning and emotional well-being. Emotional and functional headache characteristics were studied using a multi-dimensional investigation which included relatives' perceptions of the sufferers headaches. The intervention proved effective and beneficial for the 20 therapy participants. It is concluded that cognitive-behavioural therapy provides a useful supplement to the treatment of post-traumatic headache.
There appears to be some convergance between findings from studies of the neuropsychology of idiopathic OCD and neuro-imaging of OCD following brain injury.
Brain injuries result in complex losses for an individual. Impairments of self-awareness are common following brain injury. The losses associated with brain injuries are often difficult for a person to comprehend because of impaired self-awareness. It is likely that there is a dynamic relationship between self-awareness and the grief that follow brain injury. Grief and impaired self-awareness, unless resolved, are likely to hamper rehabilitation efforts. Psychotherapeutic approaches specifically addressing grief and loss following brain injury are discussed. Ideally, attempts to address grief following brain injury should take account of the problem of impaired self-awareness. This article aims to bring together the concepts of both self-awareness and grief following brain injury and the role psychotherapy may have in assisting people adjusting to loss and grief following brain injury.
One of the major sequelae following traumatic brain injury is a change in employment status. This poses significant challenges for rehabilitation services. Several studies have investigated the longer-term outcome after traumatic brain injury. Longer-term outcome in an economically disadvantaged rural environment with limited rehabilitation services has not been studied extensively. A group of individuals (n = 65) who sustained a traumatic brain injury were compared regarding pre- and post-employment status. The moderate and severely injured sub-groups showed a significant change in employment status. Ideally rehabilitation programs should target re-employment as an outcome. Limited employment opportunities in rural areas may make this more difficult to achieve.
Return to work represents a significant marker of functional outcome for persons who have suffered a brain injury. Neuropsychological assessment forms an integral part of treatment planning following brain injury and aims to document cognitive strengths and weaknesses, including general intellectual abilities. Neuropsychological testing has been criticised for having limited ability to predict functional outcomes such as return to work. The present study sought to examine the association between return to work following ABI and the Wechsler Abbreviated Scale of Intelligence (WASI). Patient files in a community neurorehabilatation service were reviewed retrospectively and 52 individuals were identified who had been employed at the time of their injury and for whom a WASI was completed. The study found full-scale IQ, verbal IQ, the similarities sub-test, and severity of injury to be associated with return to work.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.