Traumatic Brain Injuries a Growing Concern for Soldiers
Tuesday, October 19, 2010
A traumatic brain injury (TBI) will often have a significant impact on quality of life. However, it’s not uncommon for U.S. military personnel who have suffered TBIs to go without appropriate care because these injuries aren’t outwardly visible and can be difficult to diagnose and treat. TBIs may therefore be written off as being less serious than they really are.
The military estimates that 150,000 soldiers have sustained some type of brain injury during the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. A 2008 Rand study indicates the number may actually be as high as 400,000.
The vast majority of TBIs among returning soldiers can be attributed to the prevalence of improvised explosive devices (IEDs) widely used in both Iraq and Afghanistan. At peak times during the war in Iraq, as many as 100 of these roadside bombs would detonate each day, killing American soldiers and leaving others with seemingly invisible injuries. Although symptoms gradually diminish for many soldiers who suffer concussions or mild traumatic brain injuries during deployment, a smaller percentage of the injured experience significant long-term effects, which may include:
- balance problems;
- confusion or mental fogginess;
- difficulty reading;
- dizziness;
- headaches;
- impaired short-term memory;
- problems with speech, such as stutters or slurred words; and
- trouble performing tasks once considered simple.
Among soldiers lucky enough to receive neurocognitive rehabilitation, many report being dissatisfied with the care they received. A typical military TBI treatment regimen might consist of only two to four hours of neurocognitive rehabilitation per week — a significantly smaller amount than the three to six hours of rehabilitation per day a TBI sufferer might receive for months in a civilian setting.
Wrong Diagnosis
Not only are some soldiers lacking adequate medical care, but many are also being misdiagnosed. Neurocognitive damage is being labeled as everything from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) to personality disorders, and although some soldiers may suffer both PTSD and TBI, these conditions should be identified and addressed as separate conditions.
To learn more about support programs for soldiers suffering from TBIs, visit the “Soldiers & TBI” section of the Betty Clooney Foundation for Persons with TBI website at www.bcftbi.org.
MD News October 2010
I recieved a tbi in dessert storm and the system screwed me over. I have dementia due to my tbi. I am the perfect example of how it sucks to have a tbi.