PTSD & TBI (Traumatic Brain Injury) - A Hidden Connection?

According to the Office of the Surgeon General of the Army, 64% of wounded soldiers in sustained combat "blast" injuries (assaults with rocket-powered grenades, improvised explosive devices, or a vehicle born improvised explosive devices). Many others are constantly blast injuries without apparent exterior wounds. As a former military wife, can not name one soldier did not know who hit at least a few times near one of these devices.

Blast related to the attacks can cause a TBI (traumatic brain injury) and MTBI (mild traumatic brain injury). According to the Defense and Veterans Brain Injury Center (DVBIC), "Blast injuries are injuries that result from the complex pressure wave generated by an explosion. .. Air-filled organs such as ears, lungs and gastrointenstinal tract and organs surrounded by fluid-filled cavities, such as brain and spinal are particularly sensitive to primary blast injury (Elsayed, 1997; Mayorga, 1997). overpressurization wave dissipates rapidly, causing the greatest risk of injury to those closest to the explosion ."

Although much is unknown about brain injury, the returning soldiers to do research in the Walter Reed Medical Center in 2003 DVBIC found that 61% of soldiers who had suffered a stroke related to the attacks, had a brain injury. Steven P. Macedonian, a neurologist and former doctor at the Veterans Administration (quoted Ronald Glasser in March 2007 Washington Post article, article) estimated that at least one third of all veterans who served in Iraq and Afghanistan probably suffered a brain injury.

With nearly 2 million soldiers, sailors, pilots and Marines who served in Iraq and Afghanistan today, it would mean that estimates more than 670,000 returning heroes suffer from brain injuries. It is a by just a short 12 274 reported cases related to the fight against TBI since March 2007. Such a drastic discrepancy in figures indicate, perhaps, that the current military and Veterans Administration screening and diagnostic procedures are not adequate.

is also possible that most of our heroes are diagnosed with PTSD (post traumatic stress disorder), when they actually should be receiving the diagnosis of TBI, MTBI, or a combination of PTSD and brain injuries. Many symptoms of brain injury, mild or otherwise, mirror the symptoms of PTSD. Individuals experiencing or injuries usually occur one or more of the following: memory loss, difficulty concentrating, short attention span, slow thought processes, irritability, difficulty sleeping, depression and impulse control problems. With so many common symptoms, it is impossible for many, even by trained professionals, to determine from which condition (or both) a soldier suffering.

It is, however, to ensure proper long-term care for our nation's heroes for medical providers to do the necessary testing to determine if there is a brain injury. This is important because, according to the Brain Injury Association of America (BiaÅ), brain injuries caused by the accelerating many diseases, including respiratory, circulatory, digestive, and neurological diseases. Without proper home care, veterans will not receive follow-up screening and treatment to prevent or mitigate further damage.

Our family has personal experience with TBI / MTBI screening through the Veterans Administration medical system is not entirely favorable. My husband has suffered more than a dozen explosions (a combination of RPG and IED's), while serving in Iraq. His neurological symptoms after an attack does not fall directly under the diagnostic criteria for brain injury (also available on the website BiaÅ) because he occasionally loss of consciousness for a time after the explosion. He received an initial screening at our local VA clinic follows a "second-degree evaluation" on our regional VA hospital. The second estimate is so unprofessional and seemingly dependent on the clinician's opinion, that I sought advice from BiaÅ. It was through them that I learned that my husband did, indeed, at least with MTBI and should receive follow-up care and testing of the "civilians" care guidelines. However, based on the opinions of VA clinicians, my husband is a mental, behavioral and physical changes are attributed to only PTSD.

There are many current military and VA procedures and policies that will have to adapt and improve in order to properly diagnose and care for our many returning junaka.Sadašnja level of protection given to soldiers in relation to brain injury is a definite example of this. If you or a loved one serving in Iraq or Afghanistan have experienced any symptoms of TBI or MTBI listed below, please push for a proper, complete diagnosis. Hopefully, if enough veterans and family members to stand up and ask for more, we will make the road ahead easier for our other returning brothers and sisters.

Neurological symptoms of TBI include:. Memory loss, concentration or attention problems, slow learning and difficulty with planning, reasoning, judgments, or

emotional and behavioral consequences of TBI are: depression, anxiety, impulsivity, aggression, and suicidal thoughts.

physical symptoms of TBI include:. Nausea, vomiting, dizziness, headache, blurred vision, sleep disturbances, speed and fatigue, lethargy, or other sensory loss

Glasser, Ronald. "Shock Wave brain injury." 8th April 2007. Washington Post (See full text of this revealing article on: ).