Lecturette Hopefully by this point, you have a pretty good idea of some of the psychosocial changes that can occur after an acquired brain injury. Just as psychosocial changes can vary depending upon the individual, so too can emotional reactions. I want to take the opportunity to clarify the difference between psychosocial change and emotional reaction.
Psychosocial change refers to a somewhat permanent change in an individual s personality.
An emotional reaction on the other hand, refers to a transient state that the individual may experience. The most common emotional reaction to an ABI is depression. However, when depression becomes so severe that the individual has difficulty functioning, professional intervention maybe warranted. I am not training you to treat depression, or perform any interventions. My goal is for you to be able to recognize when someone is suffering from depression, and to know what type of referral would be appropriate.