Abstract
INTRODUCTION: Psychiatric illness is an increasing part of the burden of disease worldwide. While psychiatric illness has multifactorial origin, traumatic brain injuries are a significant contributing factor. Recent studies have suggested that 1 in 5 patients may develop psychiatric symptoms post-trauma. As patients with traumatic brain injuries tend to be younger and in the working age-group, the potential loss to society is greater if they remain unidentified and untreated. METHODS: A retrospective study of 152 cases of traumatic brain injury presenting to our Neurosurgical Clinic during the six-month period between October 2017 and March 2018 was conducted. Data about the number of patients who developed psychiatric symptoms post-trauma was extracted. RESULTS: Of the 152 patients, 42 (27.6%) developed either axis I psychiatric disorders or cognitive impairment. There was a bimodal distribution of psychiatric illness noted; mostly in either patient with mild or severe head injury. The majority of patients presented with cognitive and memory impairment post-trauma (53%), while another 20% presented with depression with concurrent anxiety and/or psychosis. We noted that those who were referred to Neuropsychiatry early showed good progress and were able to return to school and work, whereas patients with undetected symptoms or delayed referrals remained unemployed or were terminated from their workplace due to disruptive behavior. CONCLUSION: The results suggest that traumatic brain injury may cause lasting vulnerability to psychiatric illness in some patients. This study emphasizes the importance of psychiatric screening and follow-up after traumatic brain injuries.
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@proceedings{APCPH-2019-252,
title = {Psychiatric Sequelae of Traumatic Brain Injuries},
author = {Vidya Gopinadhan and Renukha Gunaselan and Dandaithapani Thyagarajan and Priya Sharda and Nasser Abdul Wahab},
year = {2019},
date = {2019-07-22},
urldate = {2019-07-22},
journal = {6th Asia-Pacific Conference on Public Health 2019 Proceedings},
issue = {6},
abstract = {INTRODUCTION: Psychiatric illness is an increasing part of the burden of disease worldwide. While psychiatric illness has multifactorial origin, traumatic brain injuries are a significant contributing factor. Recent studies have suggested that 1 in 5 patients may develop psychiatric symptoms post-trauma. As patients with traumatic brain injuries tend to be younger and in the working age-group, the potential loss to society is greater if they remain unidentified and untreated. METHODS: A retrospective study of 152 cases of traumatic brain injury presenting to our Neurosurgical Clinic during the six-month period between October 2017 and March 2018 was conducted. Data about the number of patients who developed psychiatric symptoms post-trauma was extracted. RESULTS: Of the 152 patients, 42 (27.6%) developed either axis I psychiatric disorders or cognitive impairment. There was a bimodal distribution of psychiatric illness noted; mostly in either patient with mild or severe head injury. The majority of patients presented with cognitive and memory impairment post-trauma (53%), while another 20% presented with depression with concurrent anxiety and/or psychosis. We noted that those who were referred to Neuropsychiatry early showed good progress and were able to return to school and work, whereas patients with undetected symptoms or delayed referrals remained unemployed or were terminated from their workplace due to disruptive behavior. CONCLUSION: The results suggest that traumatic brain injury may cause lasting vulnerability to psychiatric illness in some patients. This study emphasizes the importance of psychiatric screening and follow-up after traumatic brain injuries.},
note = {Type: POSTER PRESENTATION; Organisation: Hospital Pulau Pinang, Hospital Kuala Lumpur},
keywords = {Mental health, psychiatry, traumatic brain injury},
pubstate = {published},
tppubtype = {proceedings}
}