• Home
  • About
  • Blog
  • Archives
  • Directory
  • Subscribe
  • Contact Us
The Brain Health Magazine
  • Home
  • About
  • Blog
  • Archives
  • Directory
  • Subscribe
  • Contact Us
No Result
View All Result
The Brain Health Magazine
No Result
View All Result

TBI and Anxiety

Legal Corner

in Legal, Mental Health
November 14, 2020
0
Finding Solace

Curious young businessman looking through a magnifying glass at an angry screaming man

by James Heuer, PA

Most TBI patients do not suffer from anxiety prior to their injury. After a serious injury that affects your brain, you are bound to live in a constant state of fear that it will happen again. This fear can create anxiety in your daily life and activities.

Common symptoms of anxiety disorder may include extreme worry, shortness of breath, racing heartbeat, trouble sleeping, restlessness, and panic attacks, all of which are common symptoms that often coexist with a TBI. Experiencing these issues can make it extremely difficult to move on and attempt to heal.  

    Panic disorder causes a terror-like fear, making a person afraid to do daily tasks such as leave their house or use a vehicle. It is usually triggered by overstimulation of the brain. Panic attacks can often mimic a heart attacks with similar symptoms such as tightness in your chest, heart palpitations, and dizziness. 

Phobias, which are fears of certain things or situations, sometimes develop after a TBI and may cause a fear of certain places or activities, such as driving or being a passenger in a car, especially if the TBI was caused by an automobile accident. 

    Obsessive compulsive disorder, OCD, is another kind of disorder that causes uncontrolled wants or feelings. An example would be someone who obsessively checks their car’s engine or brakes to make sure everything works properly, simply due to the irrational fear that something will fail and cause another accident. But some obsessions and compulsions can also have nothing to do with the TBI but may be more intense than the usual intrusive thoughts and cause major distress. 

    Post-traumatic stress disorder, or PTSD, is a type of anxiety where a person relives a traumatic event, such as a car accident, and experiences nightmares and flashbacks. About one in four people have a TBI and PTSD. If you experience a TBI and, as a result, suffer from PTSD, it is important to seek treatment immediately because flashbacks only get worse over time. Angry outbursts, insomnia, and emotional numbness from friends and family are other common side effects. 

    Be alert if any of these anxiety disorders arise in your life after a TBI and know that all of them are treatable through rewiring your thoughts. One successful method of doing this is with talk therapy, which is widely used in treating anxiety disorders. The basic idea is to identify your negative thoughts, what causes them, and train your brain to think differently. 

    Meditation and mindfulness are more creative and safer techniques being used instead of anti-anxiety prescription medications because pharmaceuticals can be more harmful than helpful to your injured brain.

Share on FacebookShare on TwitterShare Via EmailPinterest
Next Post
Finding Solace

Life Lessons Learned From a TBI

SIGN UP

BLOG

Yoga: Seated Cobra Pose

Yoga: Seated Cobra Pose

By Amy Zellmer, Editor-in-chief Yoga is a powerful tool for neuroplasticity. Contrary to some beliefs, everyone can do yoga — you don’t need to be super flexible, be able to balance, or even be able to stand up. The beauty of yoga is every pose can be modified to accommodate anyone. An important aspect of […]

Read more
Resilience After a Brain Injury

Resilience After a Brain Injury

By Dr. Shane Steadman, DC, DACNB, DCBCN, CNS Recovery after a brain injury can be a long journey. Working hard and hoping to get back to baseline often can be frustrating, and for some, unattainable. With the many doctor visits, exercises, rehab appointments, medications, and supplements, goals can become lost. However, amid recovering from a […]

Read more
The Resiliency of the Human Brain and Body

The Resiliency of the Human Brain and Body

By James A. Heuer, PA As a personal injury attorney for over 45 years, I have witnessed many of my clients successfully recover from a Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI). Whether the TBI occurs from a car crash, a slip and fall, or blow to the head, the resiliency of the human body and brain is […]

Read more
Resiliency: Is It Just Personal or Part of Brain Chemistry?

Resiliency: Is It Just Personal or Part of Brain Chemistry?

By Deborah Zelinsky, O.D. The term resiliency encompasses “the range of personal protective factors, environmental supports, and resources, as well as self-regulatory processes, engaged in response to adversity,” according to investigators writing about recovery from traumatic brain injury (TBI) for the publication Disability and Rehabilitation. Indeed, author Mike Norton  said it best when he wrote, […]

Read more
Stress Away Essential Oil

Stress Away Essential Oil

By Amy Zellmer, Editor-in-chief A complementary tool that can help you achieve a healthy lifestyle, essential oils are easy to use and smell great, with a variety of uses. All oils are not created equal. I personally only trust the Young Living brand because I know they maintain complete control over their product from seed […]

Read more
Resiliency and the Courtroom

Resiliency and the Courtroom

By Jeff Heller Resiliency is one of the greatest attributes anyone can have. From an early age, parents teach their children, “if you get knocked down, you get back up.” Coaches teach their players, “when the going gets tough, the tough get going.” And one of the cornerstones of the underdog mentality is to “never […]

Read more
The Quality of Resilience

The Quality of Resilience

by Shauna Hahn Sometime in 2019, in the weekly “Healing and Recovery” therapy group I lead, we discussed the topic of the quality of “resilience.” When it came time for a patient to contribute, he said, “I don’t want to be resilient. I get tired of being resilient all the f**king time.” And I heard […]

Read more
Peanut Butter Protein Fluff

Peanut Butter Protein Fluff

By Amy Zellmer, Editor-in-chief What You Need: 1 cup (250g) full-fat Greek yogurt 2 tbsp. peanut butter or almond butter 2 tsp. stevia Favorite garnish (banana, granola, blueberries) Add the yogurt, nut butter and stevia into a small mixing bowl and whisk together using a hand mixer, until fluffy. Transfer the mix into a bowl […]

Read more
Arizona Man Overcomes Three Traumatic Brain Injuries and Gives Back By Building Adaptive Recreation & Socialization Program for Survivors

Arizona Man Overcomes Three Traumatic Brain Injuries and Gives Back By Building Adaptive Recreation & Socialization Program for Survivors

By Ed Roth Randy Elston is finally living his best life, which may be an odd thing to say about a Marine Corps veteran with three traumatic brain injuries (TBIs). Recently named as the Brain Injury Alliance of Arizona’s new Adaptive Recreation & Activities Coordinator, Randy’s tours of duty in Iraq left him with a […]

Read more

INSTAGRAM

Follow Us!

    The Instagram Access Token is expired, Go to the Customizer > JNews : Social, Like & View > Instagram Feed Setting, to refresh it.

© Copyright 2019 | The Brain Health Magazine

  • Advertise With Us
  • Submission Guidelines
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms
  • Contact Us

DISCLAIMER: THIS MAGAZINE DOES NOT PROVIDE MEDICAL ADVICE - View PDF

No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • About
  • Blog
  • Archives
  • Directory
  • Subscribe
  • Contact Us
This website uses cookies. By continuing to use this website you are giving consent to cookies being used.