Comments on: Alert! Thousands of Our Brave Soldiers Are Suffering From Traumatic Brain Injuries (TBI) http://www.veteranjournal.com/soldiers-and-traumatic-brain-injuries-tbi/ Veteran Journal Thu, 02 Feb 2012 20:53:50 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3 By: Dennis Michael Gannon http://www.veteranjournal.com/soldiers-and-traumatic-brain-injuries-tbi/comment-page-1/#comment-251 Dennis Michael Gannon Mon, 09 Mar 2009 08:57:42 +0000 http://www.veteranjournal.com/?p=64#comment-251 This goes to show thqat there is a lack in follow-up with the veterans, and this should be improved. It should not be left until a situation comes about but continous communications with the people that served our country. This goes to show thqat there is a lack in follow-up with the veterans, and this should be improved. It should not be left until a situation comes about but continous communications with the people that served our country.

]]> By: BrokenBrilliant http://www.veteranjournal.com/soldiers-and-traumatic-brain-injuries-tbi/comment-page-1/#comment-188 BrokenBrilliant Tue, 02 Dec 2008 20:34:41 +0000 http://www.veteranjournal.com/?p=64#comment-188 How true -- so many of our wounded warriors have been hurt in ways that people cannot see, and even they cannot fully detect. There is a condition that is fairly common in head injury that is called "anosognosia" (literally -- you don't know something is wrong). The very part of you that "should" be able to tell something is "off" has been injured, so folks cannot detect their own deficits -- which makes the world a very hostile place. Imagine walking around being 100% convinced that you don't have certain problem(s), when you really do... and everything keeps getting messed up, without you knowing why. Even when others tell you something is wrong with you, you cannot see it, and you feel like they're picking on you or unfairly finding fault with everything you do. It makes you furious, to deal with a world that seems so unfair and confusing. And the very thing that can help you see through to the other side -- your brain -- has been compromised. If/when you encounter a TBI survivor whose behavior seems completely at odds with what you think it should be... remember, they may not even know what they're doing at the time. They may not in fact be mentally ill, but just cognitively impaired. Not necessarily crazy, not necessarily bad -- just injured. And in ways that too few people fully understand. Thanks for this post -- this is important for us all to understand. BB How true — so many of our wounded warriors have been hurt in ways that people cannot see, and even they cannot fully detect. There is a condition that is fairly common in head injury that is called “anosognosia” (literally — you don’t know something is wrong). The very part of you that “should” be able to tell something is “off” has been injured, so folks cannot detect their own deficits — which makes the world a very hostile place.

Imagine walking around being 100% convinced that you don’t have certain problem(s), when you really do… and everything keeps getting messed up, without you knowing why. Even when others tell you something is wrong with you, you cannot see it, and you feel like they’re picking on you or unfairly finding fault with everything you do.

It makes you furious, to deal with a world that seems so unfair and confusing. And the very thing that can help you see through to the other side — your brain — has been compromised.

If/when you encounter a TBI survivor whose behavior seems completely at odds with what you think it should be… remember, they may not even know what they’re doing at the time. They may not in fact be mentally ill, but just cognitively impaired. Not necessarily crazy, not necessarily bad — just injured. And in ways that too few people fully understand.

Thanks for this post — this is important for us all to understand.

BB

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