A brain injury can cause physical, cognitive (acquiring knowledge), social, and vocational (career or employment) changes that affect an individual. These changes, especially in memory and organization skills, make it difficult for one to function in complex environments. Impairments caused by brain injury depend mainly on the severity and location of the injury. The most common impairments include difficulty with memory, concentration, mood, learning and reasoning skills.
The brain has previously been described as a �three pound universe� because a person literally lives in his or her brain. They receive, process, store, retrieve, and transmit sensory information that we are dependent on to experience everything form ourselves to the relationships we share with others to the environment we live in. The ability to think, smell, feel, remember, and behave appropriately is only possible with an intact brain. Scientists refer to the brain as �the organ of reason, language, complex social reforms, and morality.� A persons brain, how they feel and act make them who they are. Its their individuality.
While accidents such as falling and automobile related are the greatest causes of brain damage, others include disease, lighting strikes, electric shock, tumors, surgery, strokes, toxins, near drowning, or head injuries. A blow to the head is not required for brain damage to occur. Any of these incidences have the potential to dramatically change a person forever. Some victims become a �mere shadow of the person they were before.� In some cases brain damage can by treated with surgery, but the patient may be left with limited abilities. Children are most at risk for suffering brain injury accidents that could lead to brain damage. More than 475,000 children suffer from serious brain injury accidents each year.
Head injuries can lead to different results based on the severity of the injury. The most severe types of brain injury can cause extensive function limitations such as paralysis, and severely limited mental functioning. Minor head injuries can result in a concussion and no long-term effects. The continuum of head injuries has generally four levels
1. Minor Head Injuries
2. Moderate Head Injuries
3. Traumatic Head Injuries
4. Severe Head Injuries
To learn more about each level of severity use the tool bar on the top left side of the page.
Statistics
~Every 23 seconds, one person in the US sustains a Traumatic Brain Injury.
~1.4 Million Americans sustain a Traumatic Brain Injury each year.
~An estimated 5.3 Million Americans � a little more than 2% of the US population- currently live with disabilities resulting from Traumatic Brain Injury.
~More than 50,000 people die every year as a result of a Traumatic Brain Injury.
~About 5 Million people in the US sustain a head injury- of that 2 Million sustain head injuries that result in permanent impairments.
(www.biausa.org/Pages/what_is_brain_injury.html)
Resources and Other Links
Brain Injury Association of America
www.biausa.org/Pages/coma.html
Brain Damage
www.braindamageattorneys.com/index.
North American Brain Injury Society
www.nabis.org
(703)960-6500
Brain Injury Association of America
www.biausa.org
Brain Injury Resource Center
www.headinjury.com/
National Institute of Neurological Disorders & Stroke
www.ninds.nih.gov/disorders/tbi/tbi.htm
Centre for Neuro Skills TBI Resource Guide
www.neuroskills.com/braininjury.shtml
NIDCD National Institute on Deafness & Other Communication Disorders
www.nidcd.nih.gov/health/voice/tbrain.asp
Albert Einstein Healthcare Network: Coma and severe brain injury information
www.einstein.edu/e3front.dll?durki=8115
More links are located on the web pages about Minor/ Moderate Brain Injuries, Traumatic Brain Injuries, Severe Brain Injuries, and Mechanics and Treatment of Brain Injuries