Tools for the TBI Clinician

Abstract

In P.S. This Accident Has Changed Everyone and Everything, Kathleen Griffiths has provided a useful reference book for family members of head-injured persons. The title comes from a letter from one such family member; short segments from the experiences of relatives and friends dot the text, fleshing out the personal side in an otherwise “meat-and-potatoes” text. Dr. Griffiths is commended for her translation of the basics of brain injury (from neuropathology to medical assessment and rehabilitation) into plain English, so that fairly technical information is accessible to the layperson. This is perhaps the greatest strength of the book. Clinicians will find the book particularly helpful for family members of severely injured persons with a lengthy period of coma and/or posttraumatic amnesia, and for whom some degree of significant residual impairment is highly likely.

Coping With Mild Traumatic Brain Injury evoked mixed reactions, once my initial excitement to see such a book passed. Written by a psychologist who has survived a combined acquired and traumatic brain injury (cerebral bleed and associated car accident), and coauthored by a writer, the book does an admirable job of describing possible problems that occur following brain injury, along with numerous practical suggestions for coping with these. Excerpts from interviews with other BI survivors are included throughout the book to illustrate problems and solutions. Other strengths include the glossary and resource appendices at the end of the book.