Like any other part of our body, our brain is vulnerable to being damaged or injured. One of the most common causes of brain damage is an ‘acquired brain injury’, or ‘ABI’. An ABI refers to any damage that someone sustains to their brain after birth, excluding brain damage due to genetic factors, the birth process, or issues that occurred during pregnancy. It is classified differently to an intellectual disability or mental illness.
There are several potential causes of acquired brain injury and it’s important to identify these causes to formulate an effective treatment strategy.
One of the most common ways that acquired brain injuries occur is when someone experiences trauma resulting from an impact to the head. This is often the result of an accident such as a fall, motor vehicle accident, sporting collision , or assault.
A stroke refers to the interruption of blood flow towards parts of the brain. This can lead to a brain injury if the arteries are blocked, bleed, or break. Meanwhile, an aneurysm is a bulging weak point that develops in the walls of a blood vessel. These have the potential to burst or rupture, causing serious internal bleeding and certain types of strokes.
Brain tumours are known to affect brain function in a number of ways and to varying degrees. This will depend on where they grow and how severe they are. When a brain tumour grows, it applies pressure to certain areas of the brain, often blocking surrounding fluid. This leads to the fluid building up and causes swelling in the brain.
When someone acquires a brain infection, it can cause the brain or its surrounding membrane and spinal cord to swell, potentially resulting in an ABI. The most common infections that risk causing ABIs are meningitis and encephalitis.
Alcohol is a neurotoxin, meaning that consuming it causes gradual injury to the brain by poisoning the brain tissue. Prolonged, habitual, or binge drinkers are at a much higher risk of developing an alcohol-related brain injury (ARBI). Other drugs across various categories, including stimulants, depressants, and hallucinogens, also have the potential to lead to brain impairments when used or abused.
Acquired brain damage may occur when something stops the flow of blood or oxygen to the brain for a period of time. Lack of blood flow to the brain may occur due to medical incidents like heart attacks, strokes, and blood clots. Meanwhile, lack of oxygen to the brain (also called anoxic brain injury) may occur due to drowning, asthma attacks, cardiac arrest, or carbon monoxide poisoning.
The exact effects of an ABI will vary from person-to-person. It will depend on the type of injury, its location, its severity, and how the person was functioning before the injury occurred. However there are a variety of common symptoms that it’s important to be aware of.
ABIs have a range of potential cognitive effects, affecting an individual’s ability to think and process information. These include things like trouble focusing, short-term memory, loss, slower reaction time and processing speed, and difficulty with executive functions such as planning, problem-solving, and decision making.
Someone may find that an ABI causes noticeable changes to their behaviour, judgement, and emotional state. This might significantly influence their personality and have a negative impact on their social skills.
Individuals affected by ABIs may end up feeling more erratic and prone to outbursts, mood swings, and irritability. In the same vein, they could find themselves vulnerable to sudden bouts of sadness or depression.
Additionally, ABIs can cause people to develop issues with self-control and subsequently engage in more impulsive or risky behaviours. This tends to be coupled with a reduced sense of self-awareness and poor insight into their own difficulties.
Many people experience noticeable physical effects from ABIs. Often they may be left feeling lethargic, fatigued, and excessively tired without engaging in any strenuous activity. Sometimes, an ABI can also leave someone with recurring pain in the form of frequent headaches.
ABIs occasionally cause sensory changes in individuals, potentially impairing their sense of smell, taste, or vision. Additionally, they can have a negative effect on someone’s mobility, causing issues with their balance and coordination.
While some causes of ABI cannot be prevented, there are many lifestyle choices that can help to reduce the risk of damaging your brain. Some of these are related to health and nutrition, including: maintaining a healthy and balanced diet with limited processed foods, engaging in regular exercise, avoiding smoking and limiting alcohol use, managing blood pressure, cholesterol, and blood sugar levels. Other choices are related to avoiding hazards and include things like: driving safely and wearing a seatbelt, wearing protective headgear during high-risk sports and activities such as construction projects, and removing trip and slip hazards to prevent falls.
If you have sustained an ABI, you are not alone. An estimated 700,000 Australians have a brain injury that impacts on their daily functioning, with most occurring in men under the age of 25. Fortunately, there are lots of supports available to help people with an ABI to continue living a meaningful life. Clinical Neuropsychologists assist individuals to understand and manage the cognitive, emotional, behavioural, and physical effects of their injury. Neuropsychological assessments provide a detailed picture of the person’s functioning after their ABI, and provide recommendations tailored to the individual, which can include ongoing therapy and rehabilitation.
At Bowyer Psychology, our experienced Clinical Neuropsychologists can conduct a comprehensive and holistic assessment to help understand brain-related injury changes, and social and emotional functioning. We accept both self-referrals and referrals from medical practitioners.
The first step in the process is a pre-assessment consultation. This session involves discussing related concerns and for the clinician to obtain relevant information. From here, the assessment is booked in based on the consultation.
The assessment is a comprehensive process that typically involves 2 to 4 hours of psychometric testing. Further questionnaires are sent to relevant personnel that may know the person well. Other collateral information is obtained as needed including imaging results, hospital records, or specialist letters.
Once the assessment is complete, the Neuropsychologist will compile a comprehensive report detailing the findings of the assessment. The findings will be discussed in a feedback session conducted approximately 4 weeks after the assessment.
Our clinicians within their report provide individualised recommendations including relevant accommodations to best support the individual. As our clinicians are clinically trained, our reports are approved by the NDIS.
Please contact our friendly admin team on (08) 6317 6000 or email to enquiries@bowyerpsychology.com.au for details on pricing. Our fee is inclusive of all testing required; questionnaires; review of collateral information; a comprehensive report; and a 1-hour feedback session.
Yes, our reports are accepted by the NDIS as our clinicians have the appropriate clinical training recognised by the NDIS.
We can provide further support after the assessment process to continue care. This can include:
Established in 2007, Bowyer Psychology is a multidisciplinary practice in Mount Pleasant, Western Australia. Our team brings together Clinical Psychology, Clinical Neuropsychology, Speech Pathology and Paediatrics, providing assessment and therapy for children, adolescents, adults and older adults.
We work with a broad range of psychological, developmental, cognitive and neurological concerns, from everyday emotional and psychological difficulties through to complex presentations requiring specialised assessment and multidisciplinary input.
Our approach is evidence-based, collaborative and tailored to each individual. We take the time to understand your concerns, explain the assessment or treatment process clearly, and work with you to develop an approach that is appropriate to your needs.
