A brain injury can affect more than physical health. Changes in mood, behavior, and thinking are common, and they can be as hard to live with as the injury itself. Psychiatric care can help patients and families manage those changes.
What Is a Brain Injury?
A brain injury is damage to the brain that happens after birth. It can be:
- Traumatic – caused by a blow or jolt to the head, such as from a fall, car accident, or sports injury. This includes concussions.
- Acquired – caused by something inside the body, such as a stroke, an infection, or a lack of oxygen.
Common Changes After a Brain Injury
- Depression or sadness
- Anxiety or worry
- Irritability or a short temper
- Mood swings
- Trouble concentrating or remembering
- Sleep problems
- Acting impulsively
These changes may appear soon after the injury or develop weeks or months later.
How Is It Evaluated?
An evaluation looks at your history, current symptoms, and how they affect daily life. Your provider will also review your other diagnoses and medications, and may communicate with your primary care provider or other specialists.
How Is It Treated?
Treatment focuses on the symptoms that matter most to you and may include:
- Psychotherapy and counseling – support in adjusting to changes, coping with frustration, and building strategies for daily life.
- Diagnosis and medication management – with careful attention to other medical conditions and treatments.
- Family support – helping loved ones understand the changes and how to help.
Psychiatric care works alongside your primary care and other specialists, not in place of them.
Why Choose Saint Sophie’s Psychiatric Center?
Our Medical Complexity Clinic brings together clinicians experienced in treating psychiatric conditions in patients with neurological and other medical conditions, including traumatic brain injury and stroke. We offer in-person and telehealth appointments for patients in North Dakota and Minnesota.
To set up an appointment, submit a contact form or call us at (701) 365-4488.
If you have had a recent head injury and have new or worsening symptoms, seek emergency care.