Terms
Uncoded

ACQUIRED BRAIN INJURY
​Often shortened to ABI, it relates to all brain injuries as a result of illness or accident after birth.
PERSEVERATION
When someone repeats what they have said many times over.
APHASIA
Language loss

Brain Injury

Brain injury is a very general term used to refer to any damage to the brain tissue or chemical balance in the brain. ​

Causes

  • A blow to the head
  • Lack of oxygen to the brain​ 
  • Infection or disease 
  • Haemorrhage or bleeding in the skull
  • Drug or alcohol abuse
  • Tumour
​
The list is not exhaustive!
There are different levels of brain injury causing different types of symptoms, some are minor and some are very serious. Just as no two broken legs are identical, no two brain injuries are identical.

Physical Effects

  • Fatigue
  • Mobility
  • Sensory Impairment
  • Difficulties with speech​​
  • Epilepsy
  • Spacsticity
  • Weakness or paralysis
  • Ataxia
  • Hormonal imbalances

Cognitive Effects

  • Problems with memory
  • Reduced initiation and problems with motivation
  • Reduced concentration span
  • Reduced speed of information processing​​
  • Reduced problem-solving ability
  • Perseveration
  • Impaired reasoning
  • Impaired judgement
  • Lack of insight
  • Aphasia

Emotional and Behavioral
Effects

  • Loss of confidence
  • Mood swings
  • Depression
  • Anxiety
  • Frustration and anger​
  • Abusive or obscene language
  • Disinhibition
  • Impulsiveness
  • Obsessive behaviour

Facts and Statistics

  • Every 90 seconds someone in the UK is admitted to hospital with a head injury.
  • In the last year 21,217 people in Scotland were admitted to hospital with a head injury.
  • Men are more 1.6x more likely than females to be admitted for a head injury.
  • In recent years the number of womed admitted to hospital with a head injry has increased, as much as 24% in 2005-6.
For more information please have a look at the Headway website. You can find factsheets about the effects of brain injury, hospital treatment and recovery.