Brain Injury and Concussion Treatment and in Chapel Hill, Raleigh, and Charlotte, NC

Each year, at least 1.5 million Americans sustain a traumatic brain injury (TBI). Brain injury claims more than 50,000 lives and leaves more than 80,000 individuals with lifelong disabilities each year. The "silent epidemic" of brain injury is illustrated best by a 1999 statistic from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)-there currently are at least 5.3 million Americans living with a disability as a result of brain injury.

With traumatic brain injury occurring every 21 seconds, this public health concern ranks as the leading cause of death and disability in children and young adults. For those who survive and their families, brain injury is life altering. Serious physical impairments are a frequent result, as are a variety of cognitive, behavioral and emotional complications. In addition, the costs related to brain injury are staggering. Individuals with severe brain injury typically face 5 to 10 years of intensive rehabilitation with cumulative costs exceeding $35 billion annually.

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An acquired brain injury is an injury to the brain, which is not hereditary, congenital, degenerative, or induced by birth trauma. An acquired brain injury is an injury to the brain that has occurred after birth.

An acquired brain injury commonly results in a change in neuronal activity, which affects the physical integrity, the metabolic activity, or the functional ability of the cell. An acquired brain injury may result in mild, moderate, or severe impairments in one or more areas, including cognition, speech-language communication; memory; attention and concentration; reasoning; abstract thinking; physical functions; psychosocial behavior; and information processing.

Adopted by the Brain Injury Association Board of Directors, March 14, 1997.

Traumatic Brain Injury specifically refers to "an insult to the brain, not of a degenerative or congenital nature but caused by an external physical force that may produce a diminished or altered state of consciousness."

Adopted by the Brain Injury Association Board of Directors, February 22, 1986.

Traumatic Brain Injury is a type of acquired brain injury, but acquired brain injury is not limited to traumatic injury.

After an impact to the head, a person with a brain injury can experience a variety of symptoms but not necessarily all of the following symptoms. This information is not intended to be a substitute for medical advice or examination. A person with a suspected brain injury should contact a physician immediately, go to the emergency room, or call 911 in the case of an emergency. Symptoms of a traumatic brain injury include can include, but are not limited to:

The following excerpt is from: Gualtieri, C.T. (2002) Brain Injury and Mental Retardation. Philadelphia, PA: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins.

"The outcome of any given TBI is determined by four elements:

Proper treatment for the patient with TBI requires an appreciation of the time required for recovery to occur... A severely injured patient is capable of functional gains for years after the event, as long as he or she stays healthy and properly engaged." (Gualtieri 2002, p. 5).

At NC Neuropsychiatry, treatment of symptoms and conditions related to brain injury is a specialty of our providers. We provide comprehensive and individualized treatment services for persons with a brain injury. Services include medication management, individual and family counseling, cognitive remediation, physical conditioning, vocational counseling, recreation therapy, support groups, and Day Treatment programming.