Our services

Mental Health

Serious injury changes more than tissue. Depression, anxiety, irritability, disturbed sleep, and post-traumatic stress symptoms are common after accidents, and after brain injury specifically they can be part of the injury itself rather than a reaction to it. In a large NIH-funded study, a majority of mild TBI patients treated at US trauma centers reported injury-related functional limitations a full year after injury [], and emotional and cognitive symptoms are consistently among the most disruptive.

Assessment

Mental health assessment at Axon is integrated into the medical evaluation rather than bolted on. Patients are screened for mood, anxiety, sleep, and trauma-related symptoms, and where screening raises concern, a clinician performs a full assessment and discusses the findings and options with the patient.

Treatment

Depending on the individual patient's needs and preferences, treatment may include psychotherapy, counseling focused on adjustment to injury and pain, evidence-based treatment for trauma-related symptoms, and medication management coordinated with the treating physicians. Because the mental health team works inside the same care plan as neurology, rehabilitation, and pain management, treatment addresses the whole situation rather than one symptom at a time.

As with every service at Axon, whether to pursue mental health treatment is the patient's decision, made with a clinician's recommendation and a clear explanation of the options.

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