The Brain: A New Frontier
Allow me to introduce you to some people I’ve met over the past year or two. First, meet little Ricky, just 7 years old, serious cowlick in front, thick glasses covering eyes that go from fearful to irate to smiling depending on his perception of what is happening to him. Can’t sit still in school, tosses desks as easily as kids twice his age, doing his best to control two adults administering some very not fun tests—through both his charm and his arm! He then cries in utter frustration when he does not get one answer right and gets lost in the midst of even the simplest of tasks. And just wants to go home and stay there with his adoptive mom.
Now please meet my 76-year old friend, Mimi. Two years ago she was active in her church, minister of communion to those at home, running to meetings and luncheons, heading out to her exercise class followed by coffee and talk with the ladies. Now, she sits in her chair most days, can’t concentrate long enough to read, so she pages through magazines occasionally and frequently tells the same story over and over—or forgets things completely.
I’d also like you to meet Jackie. A professional woman who used to run her own business, hire and fire, as well as take care of a family and participate in many recreational activities. Today she struggles to organize her day, has mood swings and sleeping problems that tire her out, and rather than the 20 hour day with 4 hours of sleep it is 4 hours activity and 20 hours of rest.
Finally, let me introduce you to James who 3 years ago was top salesman in his region. Running, going, stretching to meet those demands as well as be dad and hubby. Then, suddenly, the phone was terrifying and the thought of leaving the house too much.
What happened? And, what’s the big deal, right; I’ve just described plain old, ordinary garden- variety Attention Deficit, Alzheimer’s, and Depression right? It’s not as easy as that.
After hours of study and reading book after book, paper after paper, and discussing these kinds of situations with psychologists, psychological evaluators and psychotherapists across the country it’s become quite evident that the brain, that gelatin-like mass under our skull, does so much more, and much more precisely than we’d ever imagined. And not only that, but it has both hardware and software that must be operational.
Have you ever worked on a computer that is DOS based, not Bill Gates Microsoft Windows, and attempted to run a program that is Windows based? Or have you ever tried to load a program for which your computer doesn’t have enough space? Or even better, attempted to retrieve information from a corrupted disc? Brought back your worst nightmare at the computer, huh? Well, this is like our brain.
The hardware is the structure of the brain and the protective skull that covers it. The software consists of all the electrical impulses, the neurotransmitters, the thousands of ways in which the brain communicates to allow us to move our right hand when we want to, or know which is left, or figure out a puzzle, or allows us to be appropriately angry or sad without feeling out of control. There is nothing that we do, literally nothing, that doesn’t come in some way from the functioning of our brain.
So that’s new? Haven’t we always known this? Well, not so much. We used to think it took a massive head injury that resulted in lots of blood and immediate neurological symptoms that were quite evident to cause damage. So, in the emergency room after an auto accident if you could walk, your eyes reacted to light, and you sounded like you knew who you were then you were sent home deemed “shaken up but fine”. No one paid attention or related the fact that this woman now couldn’t organize her work space, was teary for months and months, became very depressed, couldn’t remember things, and had become extremely irritable. Well guess what? When she was rear-ended by a semi truck going 55 miles an hour and walked away from a totaled vehicle--she wasn’t fine. Her brain had been jolted and, think of a Jell-O mold here, had sloshed back and forth against her skull, causing trauma to the structure of the brain that can’t be seen on X-rays. But can be seen in neuropsychological testing that allows her to finally realize she isn’t crazy, she’s lost function in her frontal lobe that controls her organization as well as to her temporal that controls memory. And what is more important is that all the psychotherapy in the world will not correct this. She needs specific tools to overcome the deficits and make life easier. And the understanding that it isn’t her fault, it isn’t a moral defect, it is an injury.
So let’s go back to the four individuals you met earlier. First, Ricky, our charmingly obnoxious 7-year old. He’s been severely neglected and abused as an infant before CPS removed him from his home. In addition, he’s been subject to drugs and alcohol in his system when he was a developing fetus. His software, the neurotransmitters and other messengers are not working correctly. Not only this, but there are specific parts of his brain, especially the frontal lobe that controls his ability to think, reason, organize, plan, understand consequences, and control aggression, that are dramatically under functioning or possibly unable to function. Plain ole ADD? Hardly.
Let’s look back to Mimi, our 76-year old with “Alzheimer’s”. The doctors for a year and a half said it was just “aging” when she complained of not remembering everything. Possibly true. And then there was a surgery with aftercare mismanaged by the surgeon and a cardiologist, a physician, and mental health provider who all deemed her depressed. Eventually, 6 months later she was diagnosed and treated for the pulmonary embolisms that were impacting her ability to breathe and eventually her heart so that very little oxygen was getting through her body. Now, we have a woman who has had mood problems in the past, but her memory, moodiness, ability to initiate and concentration are all poor. Why? The brain needs oxygen and it didn’t get it and pieces of it can never be regained. So, Alzheimer’s? Likely not from the brain scans and MRI’s already done. Oxygen deprivation to her brain, highly likely. Reversible? No.
Remember Jackie? The previously successful “superwoman”? She had hit her head numerous times throughout life in sports injuries and domestic violence. She did okay, had some problems, but managed. But then came a sports injury that left her significantly impaired for a few days and gradually her overall functioning reduced and she needed more and more support from staff. Eventually the coping became too much, her mood took a huge dive, and her ability to work became compromised. Just depression? No. Just a personality disorder? No. Significant damage to temporal and frontal lobes, some parietal dysfunction, and both her hardware and software have been impaired.
Finally, James, no major head injury. But he has a genetic background of bipolar and major depression. The software is corrupted, and the stress of managing on a corrupted software program became too much. Much as your computer starts freezing when a patch or some other fix is needed, he also froze. And it’s been a long way back to speed with medication and life management changes and dealing with pain in his emotional past. Not just depression, but bipolar disorder.
We can’t be too careful when it comes to evaluating ourselves, our loved ones, and our clients in terms of hardware and software deficiencies. The 76-year old woman had family members who kept asking questions, and asking for new doctors, and pushing hospital staff to reconsider what they found to be obvious. Eventually the answer was found, but not before the damage was severe. We must be proactive in evaluating people and not just settle for the easiest, the quickest, and the least difficult explanation when the “fixes” for these diagnoses are not helpful. We must demand our health providers keep looking and search for the answers. And you deserve to understand your brain and your loved one’s brains. It may never happen to you or a loved one, but we don’t know what we’ll be given to deal with, do we? As Mrs. Gump said, “Life is a box of chocolates…You never know what you’re gonna get”. If you are interested in learning more, any of the following books are great references and fairly easy reads in the basics of the brain. Then you, too can advocate for someone now—or perhaps for yourself.
Change Your Brain, Change Your Life, by Dr. Daniel Amen.
The Developing Mind by Daniel Siegel.
A Symphony in the Brain by Jim Robbins.
We all are responsible and called to work toward more loving, understanding and compassion of others.
Symptoms of Traumatic Brain Injury
If the main article in this newsletter got you thinking about an injury you or someone else sustained and you’re wondering about the symptoms to watch for this is a partial list. This is taken from a checklist provided by the Governor’s Council on Spinal & Head Injuries:
Now please meet my 76-year old friend, Mimi. Two years ago she was active in her church, minister of communion to those at home, running to meetings and luncheons, heading out to her exercise class followed by coffee and talk with the ladies. Now, she sits in her chair most days, can’t concentrate long enough to read, so she pages through magazines occasionally and frequently tells the same story over and over—or forgets things completely.
I’d also like you to meet Jackie. A professional woman who used to run her own business, hire and fire, as well as take care of a family and participate in many recreational activities. Today she struggles to organize her day, has mood swings and sleeping problems that tire her out, and rather than the 20 hour day with 4 hours of sleep it is 4 hours activity and 20 hours of rest.
Finally, let me introduce you to James who 3 years ago was top salesman in his region. Running, going, stretching to meet those demands as well as be dad and hubby. Then, suddenly, the phone was terrifying and the thought of leaving the house too much.
What happened? And, what’s the big deal, right; I’ve just described plain old, ordinary garden- variety Attention Deficit, Alzheimer’s, and Depression right? It’s not as easy as that.
After hours of study and reading book after book, paper after paper, and discussing these kinds of situations with psychologists, psychological evaluators and psychotherapists across the country it’s become quite evident that the brain, that gelatin-like mass under our skull, does so much more, and much more precisely than we’d ever imagined. And not only that, but it has both hardware and software that must be operational.
Have you ever worked on a computer that is DOS based, not Bill Gates Microsoft Windows, and attempted to run a program that is Windows based? Or have you ever tried to load a program for which your computer doesn’t have enough space? Or even better, attempted to retrieve information from a corrupted disc? Brought back your worst nightmare at the computer, huh? Well, this is like our brain.
The hardware is the structure of the brain and the protective skull that covers it. The software consists of all the electrical impulses, the neurotransmitters, the thousands of ways in which the brain communicates to allow us to move our right hand when we want to, or know which is left, or figure out a puzzle, or allows us to be appropriately angry or sad without feeling out of control. There is nothing that we do, literally nothing, that doesn’t come in some way from the functioning of our brain.
So that’s new? Haven’t we always known this? Well, not so much. We used to think it took a massive head injury that resulted in lots of blood and immediate neurological symptoms that were quite evident to cause damage. So, in the emergency room after an auto accident if you could walk, your eyes reacted to light, and you sounded like you knew who you were then you were sent home deemed “shaken up but fine”. No one paid attention or related the fact that this woman now couldn’t organize her work space, was teary for months and months, became very depressed, couldn’t remember things, and had become extremely irritable. Well guess what? When she was rear-ended by a semi truck going 55 miles an hour and walked away from a totaled vehicle--she wasn’t fine. Her brain had been jolted and, think of a Jell-O mold here, had sloshed back and forth against her skull, causing trauma to the structure of the brain that can’t be seen on X-rays. But can be seen in neuropsychological testing that allows her to finally realize she isn’t crazy, she’s lost function in her frontal lobe that controls her organization as well as to her temporal that controls memory. And what is more important is that all the psychotherapy in the world will not correct this. She needs specific tools to overcome the deficits and make life easier. And the understanding that it isn’t her fault, it isn’t a moral defect, it is an injury.
So let’s go back to the four individuals you met earlier. First, Ricky, our charmingly obnoxious 7-year old. He’s been severely neglected and abused as an infant before CPS removed him from his home. In addition, he’s been subject to drugs and alcohol in his system when he was a developing fetus. His software, the neurotransmitters and other messengers are not working correctly. Not only this, but there are specific parts of his brain, especially the frontal lobe that controls his ability to think, reason, organize, plan, understand consequences, and control aggression, that are dramatically under functioning or possibly unable to function. Plain ole ADD? Hardly.
Let’s look back to Mimi, our 76-year old with “Alzheimer’s”. The doctors for a year and a half said it was just “aging” when she complained of not remembering everything. Possibly true. And then there was a surgery with aftercare mismanaged by the surgeon and a cardiologist, a physician, and mental health provider who all deemed her depressed. Eventually, 6 months later she was diagnosed and treated for the pulmonary embolisms that were impacting her ability to breathe and eventually her heart so that very little oxygen was getting through her body. Now, we have a woman who has had mood problems in the past, but her memory, moodiness, ability to initiate and concentration are all poor. Why? The brain needs oxygen and it didn’t get it and pieces of it can never be regained. So, Alzheimer’s? Likely not from the brain scans and MRI’s already done. Oxygen deprivation to her brain, highly likely. Reversible? No.
Remember Jackie? The previously successful “superwoman”? She had hit her head numerous times throughout life in sports injuries and domestic violence. She did okay, had some problems, but managed. But then came a sports injury that left her significantly impaired for a few days and gradually her overall functioning reduced and she needed more and more support from staff. Eventually the coping became too much, her mood took a huge dive, and her ability to work became compromised. Just depression? No. Just a personality disorder? No. Significant damage to temporal and frontal lobes, some parietal dysfunction, and both her hardware and software have been impaired.
Finally, James, no major head injury. But he has a genetic background of bipolar and major depression. The software is corrupted, and the stress of managing on a corrupted software program became too much. Much as your computer starts freezing when a patch or some other fix is needed, he also froze. And it’s been a long way back to speed with medication and life management changes and dealing with pain in his emotional past. Not just depression, but bipolar disorder.
We can’t be too careful when it comes to evaluating ourselves, our loved ones, and our clients in terms of hardware and software deficiencies. The 76-year old woman had family members who kept asking questions, and asking for new doctors, and pushing hospital staff to reconsider what they found to be obvious. Eventually the answer was found, but not before the damage was severe. We must be proactive in evaluating people and not just settle for the easiest, the quickest, and the least difficult explanation when the “fixes” for these diagnoses are not helpful. We must demand our health providers keep looking and search for the answers. And you deserve to understand your brain and your loved one’s brains. It may never happen to you or a loved one, but we don’t know what we’ll be given to deal with, do we? As Mrs. Gump said, “Life is a box of chocolates…You never know what you’re gonna get”. If you are interested in learning more, any of the following books are great references and fairly easy reads in the basics of the brain. Then you, too can advocate for someone now—or perhaps for yourself.
Change Your Brain, Change Your Life, by Dr. Daniel Amen.
The Developing Mind by Daniel Siegel.
A Symphony in the Brain by Jim Robbins.
We all are responsible and called to work toward more loving, understanding and compassion of others.
Symptoms of Traumatic Brain Injury
If the main article in this newsletter got you thinking about an injury you or someone else sustained and you’re wondering about the symptoms to watch for this is a partial list. This is taken from a checklist provided by the Governor’s Council on Spinal & Head Injuries:
|
Medical:
Headaches Loss of taste or smell Dizziness, vertigo Tinnitus, hearing loss Sensitivity to noise Blurred vision, light Sensitive eyes Sleep disorders |
Behavioral/Emotional:
Irritability Anxiety, depression Personality change Avoidance of people Low frustration level Impulsivity Dependency Decreased libido Eating disorders Frequent mood changes Fatigue and lethargy Paranoia Excessive talking Alcohol intolerance Egocentrism Lack of motivation |
If you or someone you know is concerned be sure to see a neurologist, neuropsychologist, or at least discuss it with your psychotherapist—after making sure they are trained in subtle brain injury. There is help and you can get it!