The Traumatized Brain: A Family Guide to Understanding Mood, Memory, and Behavior after Brain Injury

by Vani Rao, Sandeep Vaishnavi, Peter V. Rabins (Foreword by)

Overview

Useful information and real hope for patients and families whose lives have been altered by traumatic brain injury.

A traumatic brain injury is a life-changing event, affecting an individual’s lifestyle, ability to work, relationships—even personality. Whatever caused it—car crash, work accident, sports injury, domestic violence, combat—a severe blow to the head results in acute and, often, lasting symptoms. People with brain injury benefit from understanding, patience, and assistance in recovering their bearings and functioning to their full abilities.

In The Traumatized Brain, neuropsychiatrists Drs. Vani Rao and Sandeep Vaishnavi—experts in helping people heal after head trauma—explain how traumatic brain injury, whether mild, moderate, or severe, affects the brain. They advise readers on how emotional symptoms such as depression, anxiety, mania, and apathy can be treated; how behavioral symptoms such as psychosis, aggression, impulsivity, and sleep disturbances can be addressed; and how cognitive functions like attention, memory, executive functioning, and language can be improved. They also discuss headaches, seizures, vision problems, and other neurological symptoms of traumatic brain injury.

By stressing that symptoms are real and are directly related to the trauma, Rao and Vaishnavi hope to restore dignity to people with traumatic brain injury and encourage them to ask for help. Each chapter incorporates case studies and suggestions for appropriate medications, counseling, and other treatments and ends with targeted tips for coping. The book also includes a useful glossary, a list of resources, and suggestions for further reading.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781421417967
Publisher:	Johns Hopkins University Press
Publication date:	11/15/2015
Series:	A Johns Hopkins Press Health Book
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	224
Sales rank:	602,187
File size:	1 MB
Age Range:	18 Years

About the Author

Vani Rao, MBBS, MD, is an associate professor and the director of the Brain Injury Clinic and the Behavioral Neurology and Neuropsychiatry Fellowship Program within the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Science at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. Sandeep Vaishnavi, MD, PhD, is the director of the Neuropsychiatric Clinic at Carolina Partners. He is a neuropsychiatrist at the Preston Robert Tisch Brain Tumor Center, Duke University Medical Center, and is affiliated with Duke’s Departments of Psychiatry and Community and Family Medicine.

Vani Rao, MBBS, MD (SEVERN, MD), is a part-time associate professor in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. She also has a private practice in Washington, DC.
Sandeep Vaishnavi, MD, PhD (CARY, NC), is a faculty member of the Duke Institute for Brain Sciences and an adjunct associate in the Department of Medicine at Duke University. He is also a neuropsychiatrist and the chief medical officer designate at ARC Health.
Peter V. Rabins, MD, MPH, is professor emeritus in the Departments of Psychiatry and Medicine at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. The author of Is It Alzheimer's? 101 Answers to Your Most Pressing Questions about Memory Loss and Dementia, he was the founding director of the Division of Geriatric Psychiatry and Neuropsychiatry and the first holder of the Richman Family Professorship in Alzheimer Disease and Related Dementias.

Table of Contents

Foreword, by Peter V. Rabins
Acknowledgments
Introduction
Part I
1. The Inner Workings of the Brain
2. The Structure of the Brain
3. Types of Traumatic Brain Injury
4. Influences on Recovery after Traumatic Brain Injury
Part II
5. Depression
6. Anxiety
7. Mania
8. Apathy
Part III
9. Psychosis
10. Aggression
11. Impulsivity
12. Sleep Disturbances
Part IV
13. Attention
14. Memory
15. Executive Function
16. Language
Part V
17. Headaches
18. Seizures
19. Vision
Epilogue
Glossary
Resources
Suggested Reading
Index

What People are Saying About This

Bob Woodruff

If ever there was a book that truly could save your life it would be this one. Drs. Rao and Vaishnavi have written a critical manual for parents, family, essentially anyone, to help recognize and explain the warning signs of a TBI. Without visible symptoms, sufferers have long remained silent or been deemed 'crazy,' but this important book not only details the physiological, cognitive and behavioral changes in the brain, it offers hope through treatment.

Thom Mayer

Doctors Rao and Vaishnavi have written a valuable and timely book that is long overdue.  It contains not only an excellent summary of TBI and its effects, but also strategies to deal with those effects. I highly recommend this excellent book.

From the Publisher

The Traumatized Brain is a great resource for anyone with a loved one who has suffered a traumatic brain injury (TBI). Whether you’re a caregiver, co-worker, friend, or survivor, this book is filled with useful information to help you understand and be prepared for the different symptoms of TBI and how TBI affects the brain.
—Amy Zellmer, writer, photographer, and TBI survivor

This book will challenge and encourage the reader. Whether an interested lay person, a caretaker, a family member, or a professional in the medical, nursing, or social work fields, readers will find this pioneering book a useful guide to the complexities of traumatic brain injury.
—From the Foreword by Peter V. Rabins, MD, MPD, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, coauthor of The 36-Hour Day: A Family Guide to Caring for Persons with Alzheimer Disease, Related Dementing Illnesses, and Memory Loss in Later Life

If ever there was a book that truly could save your life it would be this one. Drs. Rao and Vaishnavi have written a critical manual for parents, family, essentially anyone, to help recognize and explain the warning signs of a TBI. Without visible symptoms, sufferers have long remained silent or been deemed 'crazy,' but this important book not only details the physiological, cognitive and behavioral changes in the brain, it offers hope through treatment.
—Bob Woodruff, ABC News Journalist

We are faced with an epidemic of traumatic brain injury (TBI) among victims of sports, accidents, and wars. The cognitive, emotional, and behavioral consequences of such injuries are varied and complex. Using a contemporary understanding of cognitive neuroscience and a gift for distilling complex ideas, Drs. Rao and Vaishnavi present a clear and coherent picture of TBI. Informed by their own substantial clinical expertise, they also offer practical advice, making this guide essential reading for caregivers and family members as well as the general clinical practitioner.
—Anjan Chatterjee, MD, FAAN, University of Pennsylvania, author of The Aesthetic Brain: How We Evolved to Desire Beauty and Enjoy Art

Doctors Rao and Vaishnavi have written a valuable and timely book that is long overdue.  It contains not only an excellent summary of TBI and its effects, but also strategies to deal with those effects. I highly recommend this excellent book.
—Thom Mayer, MD, Medical Director, NFL Players Association

From the Foreword by Peter V. Rabins

This book will challenge and encourage the reader. Whether an interested lay person, a caretaker, a family member, or a professional in the medical, nursing, or social work fields, readers will find this pioneering book a useful guide to the complexities of traumatic brain injury.

Amy Zellmer

The Traumatized Brain is a great resource for anyone with a loved one who has suffered a traumatic brain injury (TBI). Whether you’re a caregiver, co-worker, friend, or survivor, this book is filled with useful information to help you understand and be prepared for the different symptoms of TBI and how TBI affects the brain.

Anjan Chatterjee

We are faced with an epidemic of traumatic brain injury (TBI) among victims of sports, accidents, and wars. The cognitive, emotional, and behavioral consequences of such injuries are varied and complex. Using a contemporary understanding of cognitive neuroscience and a gift for distilling complex ideas, Drs. Rao and Vaishnavi present a clear and coherent picture of TBI. Informed by their own substantial clinical expertise, they also offer practical advice, making this guide essential reading for caregivers and family members as well as the general clinical practitioner.

Editorial Reviews

Reviewer: Michael Schrift, DO (University of Washington School of Medicine)
Description: Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is the most common neuropsychiatric disorder and is a major problem in all societies. In the U.S., it is estimated that 1.7 million TBIs occur every year, and there are an estimated 3.2 million people living with disability from TBI. This book, written primarily for family members of those with traumatic brain injury, is a guide to understanding the neurobehavioral consequences of this all-too-common problem.
Purpose: The aim of the book, according to the authors, "is to give voice to this silent epidemic and everyone affected. We want to help readers recognize and understand the psychiatric symptoms that develop after TBI." Indeed, the authors have produced an outstanding roadmap for family members to understand the complexities of this common neuropsychiatric disorder.
Audience: The targeted audience is lay people. and the authors suggest that this "is a great resource for anyone with a loved one who has suffered a traumatic brain injury." It is written and edited by clinical neuropsychiatrists who specialize in the diagnosis and treatment of patients with brain injury.
Features: The book is divided into five parts, with part 1 introducing readers to basic brain function-structure relationships, the types of TBI, and influences on recovery. Part 2 reviews mood/emotion changes in TBI, while part 3 reviews psychosis, aggression, impulsivity, and sleep disturbances. Dysfunction in the cognitive domains is reviewed next, followed by the common sequelae of TBI: headache, seizure, and vision changes. The book also includes a glossary, a resource section, and a suggested reading section, which family members would find very helpful.
Assessment: This is an outstanding guide for family members on the behavioral, cognitive, and emotional consequences of TBI. TBI affects the whole family and knowledge about the disorder will help begin recovery. This book is essential reading for anyone affected by TBI.

Doody's Review Service

We can thank Drs. Rao and Vaishnavi for this remarkable contribution to patients, families, and clinicians. Few professionals, doctors included, know how to deliver their highly informed knowledge and experience in ways that lay readers can comprehend and use.
—New York Journal of Books

Individuals who have experienced a TBI, as well as their families, will find this book useful and comforting, both for its clear explanations and its clinical guidance.
—Library Journal

The Traumatized Brain puts victims and their families back in command: rewiring the brain, reshaping behaviors, inspiring compassion, and restoring one's sense of self.
—Examineer.com

An approachably human and effectively informative book on a complicated and painful injury.
—Johns Hopkins Magazine

The Traumatized Brain remains a valuable resource for brain-injured clients and their caregivers, and it can help bridge the language reference gap between providers and patients.
—PsycCRITIQUES

Authors Vani Rao and Sandeep Vaishnavi write with a sense of warmth and care that is certain to help those who want to learn more about a timely subject...very accessible for a wide range of readers and an excellent resource.
—American Reference Books Annual

From the Publisher

The Traumatized Brain puts victims and their families back in command: rewiring the brain, reshaping behaviors, inspiring compassion, and restoring one's sense of self.

Examineer.com

We can thank Drs. Rao and Vaishnavi for this remarkable contribution to patients, families, and clinicians. Few professionals, doctors included, know how to deliver their highly informed knowledge and experience in ways that lay readers can comprehend and use.

New York Journal of Books

The Traumatized Brain remains a valuable resource for brain-injured clients and their caregivers, and it can help bridge the language reference gap between providers and patients.

PsycCRITIQUES

Authors Vani Rao and Sandeep Vaishnavi write with a sense of warmth and care that is certain to help those who want to learn more about a timely subject...very accessible for a wide range of readers and an excellent resource.

American Reference Books Annual

An approachably human and effectively informative book on a complicated and painful injury.

Johns Hopkins Magazine

10/01/2015
This accessible book, which provides an overview of the biology and consequences of traumatic brain injury (TBI), begins with an introduction of brain function that helps readers understand the later chapters. It then explains the various types of TBI, and from there the authors, both neuropsychiatrists, offer general comments about the factors that can contribute to recovery from such an injury. Those opening segments frame the focus on TBI's various symptoms and effects, including depression, apathy, anxiety, and impulsivity, which will help TBI sufferers understand their behavior as well as learn about effective coping strategies and treatment options. Each of the chapters includes an insightful case study, which makes the material more practical and brings the clinical discussion into focus. Individuals who have experienced a TBI, as well as their families, will find this book useful and comforting, both for its clear explanations and its clinical guidance. VERDICT A well-done and medically centric book intended for patients and their families seeking to understand and get help in the wake of TBI.—Aaron Klink, Duke Univ., Durham, NC

Library Journal