My wife has been struggling with post-traumatic stress after her brain injury accident. Is this common?

A: Any kind of traumatic life event - especially a serious accident - can lead to post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Symptoms usually begin within 3 months after the event, and can vary. It is only in recent years that researchers started looking into the occurrence of PTSD after an injury or accident. It is now known that car accident survivors can suffer from PTSD, especially if the accident was very serious or if somebody else was badly hurt or killed.

Your wife could be suffering from PTSD, especially as she has the added burden of having to work hard to recover and regain normal use of her brain. She may be struggling to get used to her new challenges, which can be overwhelming. Please encourage her to speak with her doctor if she appears to be depressed or if she seems to have the symptoms of PTSD.  Also make sure you are doing ok.  Taking care of a spouse with a TBI can be a challenge, and you may need somebody to talk to or some other support as well.

Read more in our article Link between traumatic brain injury and post-traumatic stress in Texas accident victims