Coping with Concussion and Mild Traumatic Brain Injury: A Guide to Living with the Challenges Associated with Post Concussion Syndrome and Brain Trauma

by Diane Roberts Stoler, Barbara Albers Hill

Endorsed by the leading professional experts in the field of brain injury, Coping with Concussion and Mild Traumatic Brain Injury , is a must-have guide for managing life in the aftermath of concussion.  Often presenting itself after a head trauma, concussion-- or mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI)-- can cause anxiety, chronic migraines, depression, memory, and sleep problems that can last for years, referred to as post concussion syndrome (PCS). Easy-to-read and informative, this book is an invaluable resource for understanding concussion, post concussion syndrome (PCS) and traumatic brain injury (TBI), as well as overcoming the challenges associated with these conditions. Neuropsychologist and concussion survivor Dr. Diane Roberts Stoler is the authority on all aspects of the recovery process. Coping with Concussion and Mild Traumatic Brain Injury is a lifeline for patients, parents, and other caregivers navigating the concussion course.

Genres: Health, Nonfiction, Self Help, Medical, Science, Neuroscience

400 pages, Paperback

First published November 5, 2013

Reviews

[Carrie Brang · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the best book I've come across concerning mild traumatic brain injury which isn't always so mild btw. It's the first source I've come across that described so many of the symptoms and challenges I've been trying to describe to the Veterans Affairs neurologists & general practitioners over the past sixteen years. All I'd usually get from them is this look like I must be losing my mind. They've had me questioning my sanity. The amount of frustration & grief I've gone through, when all I needed was the acknowledgement that the issues were repercussions of the head trauma, was absolutely unnecessary. DOCTORS, pick up this bleeping book and educate yourselves. You are getting paid to treat Veterans suffering from head injuries and you should have a bleeping clue about how to do that!
The publisher should print this with a hardcover as it is the best reference on the subject to date that I've been able to find.

[Marta · Rating 4 out of 5]

Stoler is a doctor who had a minor traumatic brain injury, which is just one way this guide has extra value. I like that she shares what she has experienced, but that the bulk of the book is not about her. It is super helpful in terms of what changes might be occurring to the sufferer and why those changes are happening. She lists traditional and non traditional approaches that might be helpful.
She also writes about grief, which she feels too many doctors ignore or mislabel as depression. She sees that the two intertwine, but that they are not the same and need different understanding.
It is affirming for the person wondering what is happening to them, but timing is important because many of her case studies adapt but don't get better, and that can be a little hard to read.

[Kris · Rating 1 out of 5]

This is incredibly superficial and may be good if you know absolutely nothing, however the author refers to multiple alternative techniques without discussing evidence or lack there of and point blank states they are "safer" then conventional medical techniques. I refer specifically to she discussion of manipulation having less side effects and thus being "safer" then medication, which is at best baseless and at the worst, dangerously untrue.

I would not use this as a stand alone source

[Helen Akers · Rating 4 out of 5]

A lot of good information and insights, including anecdotal contributions that show how TBIs are such individual injuries but also have commonalities. However, there was an extremely repetitive explanation of concussion being a mild traumatic brain injury. It was hard to get pass the fact this was written in every chapter, sometimes more than once. It was hard to tell if this was done to reiterate there's nothing mild about any TBI or concussion or emphasize the medical terminology for concussion. But as a reader (who's suffered from MTBIs), I found it annoying. Mentioning it once at the beginning of the book would've been enough.

[Morgan Wagner · Rating 4 out of 5]

What I really liked about this book is that it was split into sections based on differences such as mental, emotional, etc then continued to break each section apart into different symptoms.
The format of reading for every symptom was to give the reader a patients story, break apart what was happening, why it was happening, followed by treatment options.
Best part was the inclusion of "practical suggestions" for symptoms. Simpler tips that might just make coping easier.

[Danielle Shroyer · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars. This book is thorough. I appreciated the introductory chapters on the brain, and how she broke the chapters up into physical/mental/emotional categories. Much of the suggestions are repetitive, not only from what you likely already knew but what the previous chapters said. I would have liked an appendix describing some of the rehabilitation methods she lists without much explanation.

[Chris · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very helpful book for people with concussions, or their carers. I got my copy at the library, but I’m thinking of buying it because my concussion symptoms keep changing.

[Ruby · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book validated what I spent most of an incredibly scary and frustrating year experiencing and not understanding, and offered more help than any doctor.

[Sarah · Rating 5 out of 5]

cried tears of joy to finally feel understood

[Angelica · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very helpful and easy to read

[Tanya · Rating 4 out of 5]

I will most likely refer to this book again. The information about Bach's flower remedies has been helpful and we are inspired to look more into neuropsychological testing.

This book is helpful due to its arrangement of material, especially medical, complementary and alternative treatments (which my husband also read related to specific malingering problems) and I found the case studies also interesting to highlight a particular manifestation of pCS and how a real individual had this onset...makes one feel less alone & validates what is happening though others don't necessarily see this.

In an update I would love to know more about Interactive Metronome therapy as this was missing. I found the IED information truly eye-opening as that is material I had never encountered or that had never even crossed my mind in dealing with veteran patients.

A solid read for those with post-concussive syndrome and those who care for someone with this condition. Highly recommend!

[Jo · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good guide and resource. The author clearly lays out an overview of concussion and mild traumatic brain injury; physical, mental and emotional aspects; and treatment options, including conventional, complementary and alternative. I read this aloud to one of my sons, a young adult, who is in the thick of recovery. We both thought it was helpful. It gave us a great deal to talk about; and I was thus able to learn more about his experience, which can be a very lonely one, often poorly understood by family and friends. We are appreciative.

[Sara · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked the factual parts, and it was written in a concussion-friendly way. But too much woo, presented as treatment.