Experiencing a traumatic brain injury (TBI) or knowing someone who has can be profoundly life-altering. TBIs affect not only a person’s physical health but also their emotions, relationships, and sense of identity. Often, these injuries leave behind invisible scars that require time, patience, and specialized treatment to heal. In this article, our goal is to provide a clear understanding of what traumatic brain injuries are, how they occur, and how they impact the brain and a person’s overall well-being.
With this knowledge, we can better appreciate the important role outpatient therapy plays in addressing the challenges faced by individuals recovering from a TBI. While outpatient programs are often associated with addiction treatment, they also offer effective support for those managing the physical, emotional, and cognitive effects of brain injuries. By exploring the various types of outpatient therapy and the services they provide, we will highlight how these programs can help prevent mental health struggles, reduce the risk of substance abuse, and provide a path toward healing and resilience.
Understanding Traumatic Brain Injuries
What Are Traumatic Brain Injuries
Traumatic brain injuries are caused by damage to the brain from an external force. TBIs can result in temporary or permanent disruptions in the function of the brain, depending on the type of injury.
There are different types of traumatic brain injuries ranging from mild to severe. Concussions are a common type of mild TBI caused by a sudden impact on the head, causing the brain to move around in the skull. These mild TBIs can result in temporary symptoms such as headaches, dizziness, confusion, memory issues, nausea, and sensitivity to light. Moderate and severe injuries result in more significant and long-lasting damage to the brain. They often result in cognitive, physical, or emotional impairments that require rehabilitation. Severe TBIs can result in more profound behavioral or emotional changes that require long-term care and support. Both moderate and severe TBIs impact a person’s ability to function independently.
How Do Traumatic Brain Injuries Happen?
Common causes of traumatic brain injuries are car accidents, contact sports, combat, violence, and falling. These are considered primary causes of brain injury. Secondary injuries can occur to the brain caused by a lack of oxygen to the brain, bleeding, and swelling caused by the primary injury.
Traumatic brain injuries can also occur without warning or without sustaining an injury. Strokes, cardiac arrest, seizures, and brain aneurysms can happen spontaneously and lead to brain injury by bleeding, swelling, or lack of oxygen.
What Happens to the Brain After a TBI?
Physical changes to the brain, like bruising, bleeding, swelling, or tearing of the brain tissue, can happen after a TBI. These injuries disrupt neural connections that can lead to cell damage or death. In severe cases, the injury may cause scarring, shrinkage of the brain, or permanent damage affecting the brain’s function.
The physical changes that happen to the brain after traumatic injury disrupt the brain’s ability to communicate and process information, which leads to a wide range of cognitive, emotional, behavioral, and physical issues.
The Connection Between TBIs and Mental Health
How TBIs Increase the Risk of Mental Health Issues
The changes that happen to a brain after a traumatic injury can lead to many different mental health issues. The event that caused the injury itself can be the cause of problems like PTSD and anxiety. However, physical injury is also known to cause mood swings, depression, frustration, agitation, and irritability. More serious mental health disorders can lead to aggression and even suicidal tendencies.
Issues with memory, trouble concentrating, and impaired decision-making caused by a TBI impact a person’s emotional well-being by making everyday tasks difficult. This can increase the severity of frustration, anxiety, and depression.
How TBIs Can Lead to Substance Abuse
There are a variety of reasons why having a traumatic brain injury increases the risk of developing a problem with alcohol or drugs (narcotics being the most common). For starters, many times, the individual has sustained a major injury requiring treatment of pain with narcotic medications. With prolonged use, tolerance, and dependence increase, an individual might turn to drugs and alcohol to self-medicate and treat their chronic pain issues.
Behavioral changes, mental health challenges, or changes in relationships and lifestyle can increase the chance of substance abuse by using drugs or alcohol to escape reality or deal with the trauma of the accident.
The mental health issues, behavioral changes, and emotional and cognitive challenges a person with a traumatic brain injury faces are many times more disabling and debilitating than any physical effect sustained.
In some cases, substance abuse may have contributed to the TBI occurring. For this person, the likelihood of developing an addiction afterward may be significantly increased.
The Role of Outpatient Therapy in TBI Recovery
What is Outpatient Therapy?
Outpatient therapy programs are flexible treatment options that allow individuals to receive treatment and therapies of various types while living their daily lives at home.
Intensive outpatient programs (IOP) are as flexible as traditional outpatient programs but provide more structure and treatment time, similar to a residential program, while still allowing for independent living. Due to the significant changes in behavioral, emotional, and cognitive abilities after a TBI, intensive outpatient programs are a good fit for individuals experiencing these challenges.
Benefits of Outpatient Therapy for TBI Patients
1. IOP programs allow an individual the ability to readjust to their everyday life while receiving support, counseling, and a variety of therapies that provide a solid foundation for a healthy recovery.
2. Intensive outpatient programs can be personalized, meeting each person’s individual needs.
3. IOP programs can treat co-occurring issues, such as behavioral or emotional problems, along with addiction.
4. Receiving professional guidance for managing mental health and physical recovery can help prevent more severe mental health disorders or substance abuse.
5. Holistic therapies are incorporated into outpatient programs, which are extremely important in treating the mind, body, and spirit rather than just focusing on the physical injury.
6. Therapy programs like our intensive outpatient program in Ogden offer different programs geared toward specific groups, such as women’s and men’s programs and veteran and first responder programs. These programs provide meaningful peer support that may not be found at home.
Types of Therapy Offered in Outpatient Programs
- Many types of counseling are available through outpatient programs. Individual, group, family, and couples sessions should be available.
- Cognitive behavioral therapy.
- Holistic therapies.
- Motivational interventions.
- Substance abuse-focused therapy and relapse prevention.
If you are recovering from a traumatic brain injury or know someone who is, know that healing takes patience, perseverance, and the right support system. TBIs impact every aspect of a person’s life and often lead to challenges that can feel overwhelming because of changes in physical, emotional, and cognitive abilities. However, with the help of outpatient therapy programs, people can find a path to healing and hope. These programs provide customized treatments, holistic approaches, and a strong support network to address the effects of the injury and also the potential mental health and substance abuse challenges that may arise. By embracing the benefits of outpatient therapy, those affected by TBIs can regain control of their lives, improve their well-being, and build resilience for the future. Healing is possible, and outpatient programs ensure no one has to face these challenges alone.
