Health Related Concerns
Health related concerns may potentially be experienced by individuals after a traumatic brain injury. For example, a brain injury could result in chemical changes that might contribute to depression or problems in adjusting to new capabilities.
Some health concerns may have existed prior to the brain injury and some may have been worsened by the injury.
Please note that this listing is not all-inclusive. Other services and resources not listed here may be helpful to survivors and their families and caregivers.
- Counseling may prove beneficial for you, whether you are a survivor, family member, or caregiver, as you struggle with personal issues and stressors. Counseling can help provide assistance in accepting change, in learning to develop new strategies to interact with others at home, job, and social gatherings, and in managing new behaviors after a traumatic brain injury.
Psychotherapists, social workers, and psychologists can provide counseling. The Department of Health and Human Services, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, offers a way to help you locate treatment facilities near you.
- Substance abuse services include programs to help treat or prevent alcohol and/or chemical substance abuse. After a traumatic brain injury, alcohol or drug use may be a way of dealing with the effects of the injury. Or, there may be a continued use of substances from before the injury that causes further difficulties. The Department of Health and Human Services, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration offers a Substance Abuse Treatment Facility Locator.
- Sleep disorders may include difficulties with sleeping, including difficulty falling or staying asleep, excessive total sleep time, or abnormal behaviors associated with sleep. These types of difficulties are common after a traumatic brain injury. Adequate sleep is important to the healing process. Lack of sleep may affect memory, physical strength, and other symptoms associated with a brain injury. The National Sleep Foundation offers a "Find a Sleep Professional" service.
- Service animals can be an important part of your physical and emotional recovery. Assistance animals may support you if you have difficulty with mobility or visual related problems, and can serve an important role in emotional recovery, especially with issues related to depression and/or anxiety.
