What is Acquired Brain Injury? (ABI)
“Damage to the brain, which occurs after birth and is not related to a congenital or a degenerative disease. These impairments may be temporary or permanent and cause partial or functional disability or psychosocial maladjustment.”
— World Health Organization (Geneva, 1996)
What is a Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI)?
A Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) is a form of acquired brain injury caused by a sudden blow or jolt to the head that disrupts normal brain function.
TBIs are typically classified into two categories:
- Closed head injury: Occurs when the brain is injured by sudden movement or impact, such as striking the dashboard in a car crash.
- Penetrating head injury: Happens when an object breaks through the skull and damages brain tissue, such as a bullet wound.
2 Types Of Brain Injury
The head hits something hard (e.g. a car dashboard)
Object pierces the skull (e.g. bullet wound)
Common Causes
Motor vehicle
accidents
Falls
Sports
injuries
Violent
assaults
Child
abuse
Specifically Acquired Brain Injuries Are Caused By:
- Car crash
- Objects falling on the head
- Assaults
- Gunshot wounds to the head
- Falls
- Embolism
- Thrombosis
- Aneurysm
- Intracranial surgery
- Hemorrhage
- Hematoma
- Anoxia/Hypoxia
- Cardiac Arrest
- Drug Overdose
- Carbon Monoxide Poisoning
- Solvent Sniffing
- Inhaling Toxic Chemicals
- Excessive & Prolonged Use of Drugs and/or Alcohol
Acquired Brain Injuries Can Result in Changes to How a Person Functions in the Following Areas:
- Slurred speech
- Chronic pain including headaches
- Fatigue and sleep difficulties
- Problems with walking, sitting, transfers, bathing, household tasks
- Takes more time to make sense of information
- Problems with planning, organizing or starting tasks
- Problems with vision
- Poor memory
- Easily distracted
- Difficulty with judgement and decision making
- Problems understanding conversations, coming up with the right word, talking in grammatically complete sentences
- Preservation “getting stuck” on a topic, idea or activity
- Confusion – may not know the date, year, time of day, where they are
- Impulsiveness – act before you think
- Dis-inhibition – no “social filter” to tell you when you shouldn’t do or say something
- Irritability “short fuse”
- Emotional liability – crying for no apparent reason
- Normal emotional responses to the incredibly devastating impact of the brain injury
- Mood disorders like depression, anxiety, anger management problems
- Emotional or behavioural outbursts
- Sadness, anger, frustration, loss of sense of self, anxiety about having another stroke or injury
- Awkwardness or inappropriate behaviour because of difficulty reading social cues
- Family breakdowns
- Loss of privacy, independence, future plans, income
- Isolating yourself because you feel different and therefore leading to being treated differently
- Trouble with social and work relationships because of awkwardness and poor coping skills
- Change in roles – (was a caregiver, now has to receive care from others)
Concussion Webinars
Canadian Concussion Centre Webinar Launch
Series begins March 2nd
Bi Weekly on Tuesdays, 3:00 pm – 4:00 pm
(6pm–7pm
EST)
25 online sessions. (30 min presentation, 30 min Q & A, moderated by Dr. Lesley Ruttan)
Featuring experts on concussion treatment topics. Including exercise therapy, vestibular therapy, mental health, return to work, school and athletics, and more.
This webinar series is for people with persisting concussion symptoms, their families, friends, caregivers and health care professionals.
