Traumatic brain injury (TBI) and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) often occur together and have similar symptoms, making diagnosis difficult. TBI is a physical injury to the brain, while PTSD is an emotional response to trauma. Proper diagnosis is important for effective treatment.
Traumatic brain injury (TBI) and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) are both conditions that have the potential to affect an affected person’s behavior and emotional state. While TBI describes physical injuries to the brain, PTSD generally describes emotional problems following a trauma. PTSD is typically diagnosed through psychiatric testing, but because typical symptoms of the condition can also be caused by head trauma, the boundaries between the two conditions are, as of 2011, unclear. TBI and PTSD often occur together, if a person suffering a physical injury to the brain experiences traumatic sensations simultaneously, such as in a car accident or military engagement.
The brain is the seat of decision-making and emotions, as well as the control center for physical functions and movement. When a person suffers a traumatic brain injury, therefore, they may experience a change in the way the brain works. Examples of the possible problems that can result from a head injury include problems concentrating, behavioral changes, and abnormal emotions. These symptoms are similar to the symptoms of PTSD, which does not result from physical injury to the brain, but rather from trauma to the person’s mental state.
PTSD is a condition that can occur after a person experiences a traumatic event. Examples of traumas might include surviving a disaster such as a plane crash, experiencing a stressful military engagement, or experiencing personal assault. The stress of the incident can cause the person to suffer symptoms such as flashbacks of the event, depression, and withdrawal from normal society. Increased irritability, decreased sensitivity to joy, and abnormal levels of fear are also indicative of PTSD.
Confusion can arise in the diagnosis of head injury and PTSD if the symptoms experienced by the patient could potentially be caused by either condition. Additionally, physical trauma to the brain often occurs in conjunction with a traumatic event, such as a car accident, assault, or battle injury. The clinical interpretation of emotional symptoms may be that the brain injury causes the problems, while the psychiatric viewpoint may place the blame on the presence of PTSD along with the brain injury.
Treatment options for TBI and PTSD differ, so attributing behavioral and emotional symptoms to the correct cause is important for recovery. Research into the presence of the two conditions together seems to indicate that TBI and PTSD are less likely to exist if the person with the injury was unconscious during the event or if the physical injury caused amnesia. For example, a person who crashed their car and awoke from unconsciousness appears to be less likely to suffer from PTSD than a person who remained awake, albeit injured, during the ordeal.
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