What can be done to help with mood and behavior disorders caused by brain injury?
Moodiness and behavior disorders frequently occur following a severe brain injury. Under the of care of a neuropsychiatrist (a psychiatrist specializing in brain-related disorders), medications are often used to stabilize the disposition of persons with a brain injury. In addition to, or instead of medication, a behavior management plan put together by a neuropsychologist (a psychologist specializing in brain-related disorders) may help to reduce the extent and frequency of mood swings. Such a plan might focus on helping the individual increase his or her awareness of when a swing may occur and train the person in alternative behaviors. Persons plagued by mood swings must be motivated for change for this strategy to work. In situations where impulse control have followed brain injury, psychiatric or neuropsychiatric intervention helps to correct the underlying brain chemical (neurotransmitter) alterations that have been well described to occur following brain injury. These medications
