There is no author summary for this article yet. Authors can add summaries to their articles on ScienceOpen to make them more accessible to a non-specialist audience.
Abstract
Traumatic brain injury (TBI) arising from blast exposure during war is common, and
frequently complicated by psychiatric morbidity. There is controversy as to whether
mild TBI from blast is different from other causes of mild TBI. Anxiety and affective
disorders such as Post-traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and depression are common
accompaniments of blast injury with a significant overlap in the diagnostic features
of PTSD with post-concussive syndrome (PCS). This review focuses on this overlap and
the effects of mild TBI due to bomb blast. Mild TBI may have been over diagnosed by
late retrospective review of returned servicemen and women using imprecise criteria.
There is therefore a requirement for clear and careful documentation by health professionals
of a TBI due to bomb blast shortly after the event so that the diagnosis of TBI can
be made with confidence. There is a need for the early recognition of symptoms of
PCS, PTSD and depression and early multi-disciplinary interventions focussed on expected
return to duties. There also needs to be a continued emphasis on the de-stigmatization
of psychological conditions in military personnel returning from deployment.
(c) 2009 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.