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Traumatic brain injury

• More information on traumatic brain injury

A traumatic brain injury (TBI) can happen if your head is hit very hard or shaken violently. Brain damage from a head injury can change how a person acts, moves, and thinks. Damage can be mild to severe. People with TBI often have problems with:

• Thinking and reasoning
• Memory
• Understanding words
• Talking
• Walking
• Seeing, hearing, touching, tasting, or smelling

A person with a TBI may also show changes in behavior, such as:

• Aggression
• Acting out
• Depression
• Anxiety
• Personality changes

Therapists design rehabilitation programs to help people with TBIs regain as much independence as possible. But the rehabilitation process is unique to the patient. For instance, some people with TBIs live in group homes to help them relearn skills needed to live and work independently. Other people with TBIs are able to live at home and go to day or outpatient rehab centers.

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More information on traumatic brain injury

Explore other publications and websites

• Employees With Brain Injuries (Copyright © Job Accommodation Network) — This article helps employers assess and respond to the specific needs of employees with brain injuries. It includes basic information about traumatic brain injury and offers suggestions for employers concerning accommodations for these employees.
  http://www.jan.wvu.edu/media/BrainInjury.html
• Living With Brain Injury: Treatment and Rehabilitation (Copyright © Brain Injury Association of America) — This publication explains the treatment and rehabilitation process for traumatic brain injury and how it can be different for everyone. It lists several options to discuss with your doctor and describes the many choices for medication.
  http://www.biausa.org/brain-injury-treatment.htm
• NINDS Shaken Baby Syndrome Information Page — This web page explains what can happen if a baby is violently shaken, and how it can affect the child throughout his or her life. It also offers information about prognosis, treatment, and current clinical trials being conducted.
  http://www.ninds.nih.gov/disorders/shakenbaby/shakenbaby.htm
• TBI Facts (Copyright © Defense & Veterans Brain Injury Center) — American soldiers are at risk of injury from explosion. This fact sheet explains why these injuries can be so serious and what the Defense and Veterans Brain Injury Center (DVBIC) is doing to help those who have sustained blast injuries.
  http://www.dvbic.org/TBI---The-Military/TBI-Facts.aspx
• Traumatic Brain Injury — This fact sheet defines traumatic brain injury and provides information on incidence, symptoms, characteristics, diagnosis, and educational implications.
  http://www.nichcy.org/Disabilities/Specific/Pages/TBI.aspx
• Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) Program — This publication gives information on the Federal Traumatic Brain Injury Program. It explains why it was established, what its goals are, and what it does.
  http://www.mchb.hrsa.gov/programs/tbi.htm
• Traumatic Brain Injury: Hope Through Research — This publication gives a brief overview of traumatic brain injury. It also explains potential complications and effects that may result from the injuries and what you can do to prevent them.
  http://www.ninds.nih.gov/disorders/tbi/detail_tbi.htm

Connect with other organizations

• American Trauma Society
  http://www.amtrauma.org/
• Brain Injury Association of America
  http://www.biausa.org/
• Defense & Veterans Brain Injury Center
  http://www.dvbic.org/
• National Association of State Head Injury Administrators
  http://www.nashia.org/
• National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, NIH, HHS
  http://www.ninds.nih.gov/

Content last updated September 22, 2009.

Resources last updated September 22, 2009.

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