Psychiatric aspects of traumatic brain injury

TBI is a complex heterogenous disease that can produce a variety of psychiatric disturbances, ranging from subtle deficits in cognition, mood, and behavior to severe disturbances that cause impairment in social, occupational, and interpersonal functioning. With improvement and sophistication in acute trauma care, a number of individuals are able to survive the trauma but are left with several psychiatric sequelae. It is important for psychiatrists to be aware of this entity because an increasing number of psychiatrists will be involved in the care of these patients. Treatment should be interdisciplinary and multifaceted, with the psychiatrist working in collaboration with the patient, caregiver, family, other physicians, and therapists. The goal of treatment should be to stabilize symptoms; maximize potential; minimize disability; and increase productivity socially, occupationally, and interpersonally.