Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) Education Essay Paper

Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) among US Soldiers
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The brain is an extremely essential organ in the human body that is primarily tasked with overseeing cognitive functionalities. As is the case with other parts of the body, the brain is also susceptible to injuries. While individuals suffering from brain concussions will often see improvements over time and after plenty of rest, those plagued by Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) and whose effects extend over 6 months are likely and usually face a lifetime of cognitive difficulties. Currently there is no medical treatment that has proved useful in the management of patients with TBI. Nonetheless, memory loss in TBI patients is often managed using notebooks that document critical tasks. Similarly, clinical medicine and psychological therapy is applied to TBI patients showcasing signs of anxiety disorder. Various specialists including occupational therapists and psychotherapists may be involved in the extensive rehabilitation of TBI patients. Traumatic brain injuries are quite common among soldiers. It is shared that soldiers suffer at least one head injury in the course of their service and which eventually persists to TBI. However, misconceptions and stigma surrounding TBI in the military greatly affects the effective therapy and rehabilitation of affected service men. It is prudent that the US government swiftly intervenes and steer the identification of a cure and in conducting an extensive education and sensitization campaign for TBI because it greatly affects social and cognitive attributes of soldiers in the armed forces.
Traumatic brain injuries usually have everlasting effects on the cognitive skills of soldiers. They impair not only their memory and speech but also their problem solving skills. Soldiers in the US army are exposed to TBIs due to the nature of their jobs. It is shared that countless soldiers usually return home at the end of their military assignments with long-lasting mental and cognitive issues. The average length an American soldier is deployed is 8 months (Singer, 2008). Deployment relates to the scheduled amount of time that soldiers have to spend away from their usual duty stations. During such deployments the soldiers are often exposed to highly dangerous situations and intense training programs that leave many with severe/ traumatic head injuries. It is reported that at least 30% of soldiers who return home after 3 to 4 months of deployments develop mental problems as a result of head injuries they suffered in the course of their mission (Betthauser et al., 2019). Singer (2008) reiterates that position and shares “between 10 and 20% of Iraq and Afghanistan veterans have suffered a traumatic brain injury (TBI). Possible consequences of this internal injury include anger, suicidal thoughts, and changes in personality. Furthermore, it is common particularly for soldiers in war zones to experience devastating blasts that either immediately or some moments after leave them confused, with severe headache, hearing loss and memory gaps (Smith, 2015). Some soldiers don’t even remember how they got the injuries in the first place. These symptoms are often assumed as being normal and that they will get better with time instead of swift remedial treatment. Explosions and blasts also have neurodegenerative effects on animals. A study by Ling showed that neural fibers in pigs start to break down and the brain cells in the cellebrum die after suffering a heavy blast (Singer, 2008). Soldiers also suffer similar fates and injuries to parts of their brains that are responsible for problem solving, judgment and impulse control. As such, they then develop issues communicating effectively. They slur during conversations and forget quite easily. Based on the above facts, it is evident that TBIs have significant impacts on the cognitive attributes of soldiers.
It has also been identified that soldiers suffering from Traumatic Brain Injuries usually have a lack of self-control and self-awareness. These negative traits are often triggered by impulsive behaviors in social settings. The Awareness of Social Inference Test (TASIT) has for years been used to assess and study social cognition in soldiers and service members in the army. TASIT is designed to use not only emotional but non-emotional cues and factors in the Social-Inference enriched scale to determine sarcasm against lying. Through TASIT, it is possible to identify and elicit emotions of happiness and anger in the form of facial expressions after showing some photographs. McCarron et al., (2019) reiterates that position and shares “The TASIT test will allow for the patient to determine if a happy or anger emotion is being depicted through facial expressions in photographs”. TASIT has established that soldiers who have suffered some form of head injury usually have issues showing their emotions. They are agitated easily and are likely to perceive a happy environment and scenario negatively. As such, they tend to seclude themselves from society because interactions results in them busting in anger and causing unnecessary tension with their loved ones and friends. Additionally, chronic social deficit in soldiers with TBI takes the form of estranged relationships with family and friends. Majority of them have divorced from their spouses because they became withdrawn and even violent and dangerous to the people around them. It is reported that at least 11% of military members who have been deployed divorce their spouses within months of returning home (McCarron et al., 2019). A significant portion of that number usually suffers from head injuries and related complications. Soldiers with TBI have also been barred from social organizations and settings such as bars because of inappropriate behaviors. They have also failed to keep the jobs they acquired after being released from the military. It is also essential to note that social deficits are not only associated with retired soldiers and veterans but also those still in service. A survey of the troops who were to be redeployed to Iraq showed that about 20-40% of them had symptoms of concussions, sleep issues and were depressed (Singer, 2008). These are all characteristics of TBI. Social skills are one of the focal points that need rehabilitation after a brain injury. These brain injuries frequently distress b...