National Brain Injury Awareness Month
National Brain Injury Awareness Month in March alerts us to the causes and aims to eliminate the stigma surrounding brain injuries.
When it comes to brain injuries, not a single injury or person is the same. The month is dedicated to improving awareness of brain injuries. Providing quality support for people with brain injuries and being understanding of their needs will improve their outcomes for the future. Changing the perspective of the world to understand how brain injuries work is a difficult task.
While anyone can suffer from a brain injury, it’s important to remember that everyone is a person first. They are not their injury. Each person has hopes and dreams, and each injury affects a person differently. How we support the person and treat the injury will require understanding and lots of patience.
Prevention
Learning the signs of a concussion and when to seek medical attention can mean the difference between a mild and a severe injury. Repeat injuries require additional attention.
Two types of brain injuries are traumatic and non-traumatic. Traumatic brain injuries occur as a result of motor vehicle accidents, sports or recreational injuries, domestic violence, falls and other external forces. Causes of Non-traumatic brain injuries begin internally due to disease, poisoning, a hereditary condition, lack of oxygen, stroke, or other internal medical condition.
According to the Department of Defense, one of the keys to recognizing a concussion and getting treatment early is identifying these symptoms:
- H – headaches or vomiting
- E – ears ringing
- A – amnesia, altered consciousness or loss of consciousness
- D – double vision and/or dizziness
- S – something is wrong, or not quite right
If you experience any of these symptoms, please call 9-1-1 or seek medical attention immediately.
