Lack of awareness and its impact in traumatic brain injury.
Research suggests that up to 45% of individuals with moderate to severe TBI demonstrate reduced awareness or complete lack of awareness of their deficits. We describe dimensions and distinctions within the concept of lack of awareness - including whether an individual has knowledge of a specific deficit, the emotional response an individual manifests to a specific deficit, the ability to comprehend the impact or consequences of the deficit on day to day life, and how an individual explains or accounts for any deficits - and various methods of assessing for lack of awareness in this population. Finally, a review of the literature studying lack of awareness in TBI, its relationship to injury severity, the impact of lack of awareness on outcome, and intervention approaches is presented.
Flashman
Laura A
LA
Dartmouth Medical School, Department of Psychiatry, Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center, One Medical Center Drive, Lebanon, NH 03756, USA. Laura.A.Flashman@dartmouth.edu
McAllister
Thomas W
TW
D001364:Awareness; D001930:Brain Injuries / Q000523:psychology* / Q000534:rehabilitation; D003072:Cognition Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000209:etiology*; D006801:Humans; D012647:Self-Assessment