Top 20 signs of an Acquired Brain Injury

October 17, 2011

Posted by:Raquel Siganporia

Interesting article in APIL PI Focus, Vol 21, Issue 8 by Ludwig Lowenstein discussing Traumatic Brain Injuries. A brain injury is often classified as mild, moderate or severe and can include the following signs as identified by Ludwig Lowenstein:

  1. Problems with immediate, short term memory
  2. Loss of Productivity, especially multi-tasking
  3. Lack of social competence and the lack of social inhibition and or anti-social behaviour
  4. Lack of effective control of thinking, emotion, behaviour e.g. anger and aggression
  5. Problems with reasoning
  6. Lacking awareness of and comprehension to what is happening and how to react to it
  7. Lack of ability to make appropriate decisions
  8. Lack of capacity for risk estimation, e.g. gambling
  9. Problems with intimacy and developing inappropriate sexualised behaviours
  10. Lack of behavioural maturity by manifesting child-like behaviour
  11. Lack of attention and proneness to distraction
  12. Non comprehension of irony and non-literal language
  13. Inability to organise and plan ahead
  14. Problems with learning
  15. Aphasia (e.g. Difficulty recollecting words or difficulties with speech)
  16. Temporal lobe injuries which tend to cause irritability and aggression
  17. Bipolar disorders including depression, mania, suicidal ideation and behaviour
  18. Alcohol and substance abuse
  19. Development of serious mental illnesses
  20. Excessive dependence on others.