Brain damage is not caused by direct

A blow or jolt to the head or body is generally what causes a traumatic brain injury. Traumatic brain damage can also result from a gunshot or skull fracture.

A mild traumatic brain injury might briefly change the way your brain cells work. Traumatic brain injuries that are worse can cause bruises, torn tissues, bleeding, and other damage to the brain. These accidents can lead to long-term problems or even death.

Do you know what a traumatic brain injury (TBI) is?

TBI stands for "traumatic brain injury." This is a brain injury that is caused by something outside the person. A blow, bump, or jolt to the head or body with a lot of force can cause TBI. An item can also enter the brain and cause TBI. Head hits and jolts don't always cause TBI.

Some types of TBI can make it hard for the brain to work properly for a short time. This can affect how a person thinks, knows, moves, talks, and acts. If you get a more major TBI, you could become severely disabled for life or even die.

Some accidents are primary, which means the damage happens right away. Others may be secondary, which means they may happen slowly over hours, days, or weeks after the accident. These second-degree brain injuries happen because of things that happen after the first head injury.

There are two main types of head injuries: those that go through the skull and those that don't.

This type of TBI, also called open TBI, happens when something goes through the skull and into the brain tissue, like a bullet, shrapnel, bone piece, etc. Most of the time, penetrating TBI only hurts a small part of the brain.

A non-penetrating TBI, also called a closed head injury or hard TBI, is caused by a force from the outside that is strong enough to move the brain inside the skull. Some of the things that can cause it are jumps, car accidents, sports injuries, blast injuries, and being hit by something.

What Are the Signs of Damage to the Brain?

Brain loss, whether it was caused by an accident or over time, has many signs. They can be categorised into four primary groups:

Cognitive and perceptual
Physical mental and emotional

Some cognitive signs of brain damage are:

Trouble processing information Trouble expressing feelings Trouble understanding other people
Less time to pay attention
Not being able to understand vague ideas
Having trouble making decisions
Loss of memory

Some perceptual signs of brain damage are:

Changes in hearing, seeing, or touching; feeling lost in space
Not being able to tell time
Problems with smell and taste Problems with balance
Pain perception that is higher

Some physical signs of brain damage are:

Never-ending headaches
A lot of mental tiredness
A lot of physical tiredness
Locked up
Weakness
Shaking
Having seizures
Being sensitive to light
Problems with sleep
Speech slurred
Out of body experience

Behavioural and mental signs of brain damage are:

Getting angry and impatient
Less ability to handle stress
Slowing down
feelings or reactions that are flattened or heightened
Lack of disability
More violent behaviour

How do you treat brain diseases?

Treatment for disorders is different depending on the type of illness. You can get better from some illnesses, like meningitis by taking a medicine or having a tumour taken out. Some conditions can be treated but not cured. For example, taking medicine to control Parkinson's disease signs or stop seizures is not a cure. Others need to be helped, like people who need to use a cane or chair to deal with balance issues.

Some of the treatments your doctor may use are:

Cognitive behavioural therapy and counselling can help people with mental health problems and offer social support.
Diet, exercise, and learning how to deal with stress can help people with some diseases, like Alzheimer's and multiple sclerosis, feel better and stop strokes from happening again.
medicines to treat the illness and ease its effects.
Endovascular treatment with minimal damage to fix a blood vessel that burst.
You can get back lost skills through physical, occupational, or speech training.
Take it easy to help your brain get better.
Surgery can stop internal bleeding, remove a brain tumour, or stop seizures in people who have epilepsy.

How can I keep from getting brain diseases?

"If you can avoid something, you can cure something for a pound." In order to avoid brain illness, you should eat well, be active, take care of any medical conditions you have (like high blood pressure, diabetes, and high cholesterol), and get vaccinated against diseases of the brain and nervous system.

Here are some general rules that may lower your chance of brain diseases that can be avoided:

Choosing to live a good life. This includes eating right, working out regularly, giving up smoking, drinking less booze, and lowering your stress.
Keeping away from X-rays and other sources of radiation that are too strong.
By getting a bacterial meningitis vaccine, you and your family can stay healthy.
Knowing the signs of a stroke and getting emergency medical help right away are very important.
Manage chronic conditions like diabetes, hypertension, obesity, and cholesterol.
Keeping your head safe by not falling, riding or performing contact sports with a helmet, and making sure you don't fall.
Keeping your mind and social life busy.

How people act sexually after having a traumatic brain injury (TBI)

Some common changes in sexual behaviour after a serious head injury are:

Reduced libido – About half of people who have had a serious head accident lose their desire to have sex. The rest either have a higher drive or no change at all.
Erectile problems – About 40% to 60% of men who get hurt have either temporary or lifelong impotence afterward.
Inability to orgasm – Up to 40% of both men and women say they have trouble having an orgasm.
Less often having sex – Some of the reasons for this could be a disability, depression, the end of a relationship, or sexual troubles.

Why people have sexual problems and TBI

Several parts of the brain are involved in sexual activity and arousal. Some people may have trouble having sex if those places are hurt. Even though their bodies still work, they might not feel sexually aroused the same way.

After brain damage, other things may also make the person's sexual problems worse or even cause them. Some of these things could be:

Emotions – Stress, depression, and worry can make you less sexually driven.
Medications – Some medicines can lower your libido.
Associated injuries – If the person's brain was hurt in an accident, for example, they may have other injuries, like a spinal cord injury, that make it hard for them to be sexual.
Relationship breakdown – Couples who are having issues are less likely to have sex.
Prior sexual difficulties – If someone has sexual problems before they get a brain injury, the damage can make them worse.
Reduced confidence – Some people may not feel as confident or beautiful after having a brain injury. This can make them less likely to feel sexual.
Other illnesses – Libido can drop if you have diabetes or high blood pressure, for example.

Having sex again after a brain injury

Talk to your doctor before resuming sex. Follow their advice, but here are some general ideas:

Talk about your hopes, fears, and how you feel. Most problems in a relationship can be fixed if the two people are honest with each other.
Be gentle with yourselves and try not to stress out too much.
Don't worry about skill; just enjoy the experience. You might need to change the way you used to make love for a while. For instance, if you can't have penis-in-vagina sex, try other sexual practices like oral sex and masturbating together.
Pay attention to making your relationship more romantic. Some ideas are to remember to value and compliment each other, show lots of affection (like kissing and cuddling), and celebrate important days like birthdays and anniversaries.

How to get over sexual issues after a brain injury

If you're having sexual problems after a brain accident, you should talk to your doctor. They can give you information and help. Here are some general ideas:

If you need to, get help for your depression, stress, or worry.
If your low libido is caused by medicine, you might be able to switch medications as long as your doctor is okay with it.
Counselling and medicine are two ways to treat penile dysfunction.
Brain injury can make some people forget about important sexual things like birth control, starting sex, or making their partner feel good during sex. It might help to get counselling.
After a brain injury, some methods of birth control might not work anymore. For example, a woman who has memory loss might forget to take the pill every day. Talk to someone about the best birth control for you.
To get aroused, use things like erotica magazines and movies.

Sexual behaviour that isn't acceptable after brain damage

A person who has had a brain injury may act sexually inappropriately at times, like when they are lying down in public. This kind of action can be hard for family members.

Talk to your doctor about it, but here are some general ideas:

Stay calm. What if you look shocked or upset? That person might think there is something wrong with their sexuality.
Tell them that what they're doing is wrong and offer other options. One thing you could do is ask them to masturbate in their bedroom instead of the living room.
Be patient because you may have to tell them many times to stop their sexually inappropriate actions.
Talk about it with the person's doctors or other support staff. Family members and other people who are close to the person should also be asked for their opinion. You should try to come up with a constant way to deal with bad behaviour.
Talk to the person about sexual things. Make clear rules about sexual behaviour. You can help them find healthy and enjoyable ways to show their sexuality.

How to get better

Helpful hints for getting better:

Stay away from things that could give you another blow or jolt to the head.
Do what the medical professionals tell you to do.
Don't take medicines that your doctor hasn't given you permission to.
Do not do regular things again, like driving or playing sports, until the doctor says it is okay.
Rest a lot.
After getting a TBI, it's important to do what the doctor tells you to do because the effects can be serious and not always clear at first.

When you should see a doctor

You or your child should always see a doctor if a blow to the head or body worries you or changes the way they act. If you think you might have a traumatic brain injury after a recent blow to the head or other severe injury, you should get medical help right away.

Depending on how badly the damage hurts the brain, it is called "mild," "moderate," or "severe." Brain damage, no matter how minor, is still very important and needs to be treated right away with a correct diagnosis.