Traumatic Brain Injury - Research Paper Example

Assignment Introduction: Traumatic Brain Injury Traumatic Brain Injury is said to occur when an injury in the brain is caused due to the trauma created by an external impulse or force. It is also termed as intra-cranial injury and generally varies from person to person depending on the severity of the trauma experienced over a specific location in the brain or over a widespread area of the brain (Centre for Disease control and prevention, 2013). The traumatic Brain Injury is one of the major causes of disability and occurrence of death worldwide due to the traumatic injury caused by the accidental injuries and injuries suffered during automobile accidents and in cases of violence. The Traumatic Brain Injury occurs at the time of accident as well as in the course of time after the accident has taken place. Not only does traumatic injury in the brain causes damage at the point of injury but it also affects brain function through subsequent development of complicacies and disabilities after the injury has occurred. The Traumatic Brain Injury causes alteration in the flow of blood in the cerebrum and also alters the blood pressure in the skull as a larger part of the brain. Research Problem The problem of this research is, “Explain the various impacts on an individual due to traumatic brain injury in terms of disabilities across the life span and identify the various resources and support that could be provided to the individuals suffering from such disabilities.” Analysis and Findings The traumatic brain injury affects the individual not only at the moment of injury but also leads to complication and disabilities in the subsequent stages over the period of lifetime. He various impacts of the traumatic brain injury and the resources and support provided to the individuals in order to overcome the disabilities have been explained below. Medical impact The traumatic brain injury suffered by the individuals impacts the individuals from the medical point of view as well. The medical impacts include the effects of the several tests conducted for the purpose of diagnosis. The CT scans and the MRIs conducted for diagnosis is aimed at taking decisions on the method of medication (Ghajar, 2000). The prolonged medication applied on the individuals suffering from traumatic brain injury could lead to several side effects on the person undergoing the medical treatment. The complicated surgeries conducted for the recovery of the individuals could be costly as well as critical for the patients in case of lapses on the part of the surgeon. The increase in cost of treatment bore by the individual is also an impact of the prolonged medical treatment for recovery from traumatic brain injury. Physical impact The traumatic brain injury of an individual leads to physical limitations and disabilities. The injury suffered in the brain due to accidental falls, violence or vehicle accidents is causes alteration in the internal functions of the brain that leads to changes in the cerebral blood flow. The injury in the skull also affects the blood pressure in the brain. These result into formation of disabilities which may run to be complicated with time. This could cause partial or complete paralysis over a period of time in the individual who have suffered the traumatic injury. The increase in disability of the individual, therefore, causes limitation to the person’s physical or bodily functions. Educational impact The traumatic brain injury affects the individuals in the course of their educational progress. The alteration in the function of the cerebrum caused due to the traumatic injury could lead to cognitive drawback that pulls back the level of understanding as compared to the others. The individual suffering from traumatic brain injury is thus not able to perform well in educational field. The lack in educational background is a drawback created as a result of the traumatic brain injury (Cifu, 2010). This impacts the educational achievements of the individuals and ultimately impacts the career and growth prospects in future life. Social impact The social impact on the individual due to the traumatic brain injury is also critical. The person suffering from the traumatic injury is unable to participate in all the social activities due to physical and emotional drawbacks. The individuals suffering from disabilities due to the traumatic brain injury are not treated on equal ground in almost all spheres of life. Some parts of the society are sensitive to the difficulties faced by the individuals while the remaining is indifferent (Marion, 1999). The individuals suffering from disabilities and behavioral drawbacks find it difficult to cope up with the society and its dev elopements. Resources and support The resources and support available to the individuals suffering from traumatic brain injury could be provided in the form of research supported programs conducted by the support organizations, non-governmental organizations, etc. Special intervention programs could be conducted for providing therapy to the affected persons. Depending on the nature of disabilities, speech therapy, entertainment therapy, physical therapy and occupational therapy could be provided for recovery of the affected people. Interventions and support for the disabled could be provided in terms of providing aid in cases of treatment and surgeries requiring high cost. These intervention and support programs are aimed at supporting the individual suffering from traumatic brain injury in their plans to return to normalcy. Conclusion The traumatic brain injury could lead to a series of impacts on the individual who have experienced it. This can range in terms of various impacts that involve physical disabilities, cognitive drawbacks, emotional and behavioral impacts, social difficulties, etc. These impacts have wide consequences ranging from recovery to partial or complete disabilities and to the extent of death. The developments in the field of diagnosis and treatment have lead to improved outcomes in terms of recovery from the traumatic brain injuries. The various techniques of diagnosis include CT scan, MRIs, etc that provides images of the areas of brain that has suffered the injury. This helps in providing the required support in the form of medication or surgery aimed at recovery from the brain injury. Several therapies like the speech therapy, recreational therapy, etc. are useful as means of support for the individuals who have suffered traumatic brain injury. References Cifu, D. X. (2010). Traumatic Brain Injury. USA: Demos Medical Publishing. Centre for Disease control and prevention, (2013). Traumatic Brain Injury. Retrieved From: http://www.cdc.gov/traumaticbraininjury/#. Ghajar, J. (2000). Traumatic brain injury. Vol. 356 (9233). Marion, D. (1999). Traumatic Brain Injury. NY: Thieme. Read More