Sections
Depression | Mania | Pathological Laughing and/or Crying
Excerpt
Depression is a common problem among persons with TBI and
is amenable to pharmacological intervention (Alderfer et al. 2005; Chew and Zafonte 2009; Warden et al. 2006). Treatment of depression may alleviate not only
the mood disturbance but also reduce other neurobehavioral disturbances
such as impulsivity, aggression, and self-injurious behaviors (Janowsky and Davis 2005). Although many factors (e.g., sleep disturbance,
fatigue [anergia], difficulty concentrating, anhedonia [apathy])
may produce or contribute to apparent depressive symptoms, when
there are sufficient symptoms (or behavioral equivalents) to merit
a diagnosis of depression, an antidepressant treatment should be
initiated. Apathy can be misinterpreted as depression and should
be considered in the case formulation (see below).