Medical/Psychological | Medical/Psychological ResourcesMedical/Psychological
It is important to remember that the effects of brain injury can vary widely from person to person. Because the brain is so complex, it is impossible to predict with any certainty what impact a brain injury will have. Brain injury can bring about changes in personality, behavior, self-awareness, and many other areas. This section discusses how to locate resources that will help in medical and psychological rehabilitation.
The Process of Medical Care
After a brain injury, medical care and evaluation is a process, not an event. In fact, many persons need medical care and evaluation after discharge from the hospital. For example, persons with brain injury may struggle with problems related to memory cognitive skills, learning new skills, emotional stability, vision, and many other aspects of physical and mental health that may not be apparent until after hospital discharge.
The hospital works to create stability in a person's medical condition. After a person is stabilized, they are often discharged. Sometimes, medical problems are not identified until a while after an injury occurs. As a result, the responsibility of accessing quality, comprehensive medical care is shifted to the consumer. Be sure to stay in communication with your doctor. Many persons with brain injury experience significant changes as they go through the rehabilitation process.
All children with brain injury should have periodic follow-up medical and neuropsychological examinations over several years. Brain injuries in children are unique in that a child's brain is still developing. As a result, the impact of a brain injury may not be fully understood until the affected part of the brain develops.
Acute vs. Sub-acute Rehabilitation
Acute rehabilitation addresses skills relating to physical health, personal care, cognitive processing, language and communication, movement and mobility, behavior, and environmental awareness and responsiveness. Usually, acute rehabilitation happens first. Sub-acute rehabilitation addresses skills relating to community living, employment, school, behavior, recreation, and independent living. Occasionally, a person with brain injury may need to enter acute rehabilitation after medical or behavioral issues are resolved.
Physiatrist and Rehabilitation
A physiatrist is a doctor responsible for coordinating the rehabilitative needs of a person with brain injury. The physiatrist often works with a team of other health professionals in developing and carrying out a comprehensive rehabilitation plan that addresses all aspects of person's life. If a physiatrist is working with you or your loved one, he or she should be involved in all aspects of the rehabilitation process.
Rehabilitation specialists work as a team. In addition to the physiatrist and the person with the brain injury, members of the rehabilitation team may include the person with brain injury's loved ones, neurosurgeons, neurologists, nurses, social workers, neuropsychologists (explained later in this section), occupational, recreational, speech, and physical therapists, and many others.
What is Neuropsychology?
Neuropsychology is an area of clinical psychology that deals with cognitive thought and personality as related to the way that the brain functions. Neuropsychology is used in many areas, including employment, return to school, relationship building, driving, and general treatment planning.
A neuropsychologist is a specialist who evaluates, through comprehensive testing procedures, the mental functions of a person's brain. A neuropsychologist will work with a person to plan training programs to help his or her brain return to an optimal level of functioning as quickly as possible.
What is a Neuropsychological Assessment?
Many persons with brain injury should be seen by a neuropyschologist while still in the hospital for a neurophyschological assessment. This assessment is a series of tests that measure a wide range of abilities to determine an individual's strengths and weaknesses. An assessment can determine which functions of the brain have been disrupted and what these changes mean in a person's everyday life.
Once an assessment is complete, it is critical for the person with brain injury and his or her family to request to meet with the neuropsychologist to discuss the results. In the session, ask how activities like work, school, relationships, and decision making will
be affected. After a neuropsychology assessment, it will be easier to understand the limitations caused by brain injury. A neuropsychologist should also be able to make suggestions in structuring support systems to compensate for the brain injury. Do not hesitate to ask as many questions as needed.
Frequently, abilities change dramatically in the first couple of years following an injury.
A follow-up evaluation should be done within two years after the injury occurs.
How to Find a Good Neuropsychologist
A neuropsychologist should have a state license to practice psychology and a Ph.D.
in psychology. After receiving a Ph.D., a neuropsychologist should have additional supervised training and experience in the cognitive and behavioral evaluation of individuals with various types of brain injury and disease. The American Board of Professional Psychology (ABPP) certifies some neuropsychologists. However, the certification is fairly new, and some qualified neuropsychologists do not have ABPP certification. To find a good neuropsychologist you should ask the same questions that you would ask of any professional.