An Introduction to Post Concussion Syndrome

Autorentext

Dr. Deana Adams, President/Founder of Hope After Brain Injury, a nonprofit organization dedicated to encouraging, educating, and equipping those on the brain injury journey. She hosts annual conferences and facilitates monthly support groups. As Executive Director of Hope Behavioral Health, Dr. Adams offers counseling to survivors and families with brain injury. Additionally, she has authored several publications and speaks nationally and internationally addressing how to effectively counsel brain injury survivors and their caregivers.

Dr. Michael Shane Arthur, Ed.D., is a survivor of long-term post-concussion syndrome following a 2018 traumatic brain injury. A previously published Routledge author, former radio news anchor, and college educator, he brings authentic insight to PCS recovery through personal journaling, resilience, and lived experience.

Klappentext

This groundbreaking textbook presents the first longitudinal diary of post-concussion syndrome (PCS) following a single mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI). Written by the patient himself and paired with rigorous, evidence-based clinical commentary from a leading clinician, the work bridges the lived experience of persistent concussion with cutting-edge neuropsychological and rehabilitation science.

Structured chronologically, each chapter examines discrete phases of the author's journey-acute recovery, expected resolution that never came, the exacerbating impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, vaccine-related shifts, and the evolution into chronic PCS. Following a concise contextual overview and authentic diary entries, the credentialed co-author provides detailed clinical analysis, differential diagnosis considerations, neurobiological mechanisms, functional implications, and evidence-based management strategies targeted to students and early-career clinicians. Each chapter concludes with targeted end-of-chapter exercises offering structured, case-specific active learning designed to build clinical wisdom, self-awareness, and combat implicit bias.

By weaving together current neurophysiology, longitudinal outcome data, validated assessment tools, and interdisciplinary interventions with authentic patient narratives, it prepares the next generation of professionals to provide informed, compassionate, and effective care. It offers advanced students in clinical neuropsychology, rehabilitation psychology, sports medicine, neurology, physiatry, physical therapy, occupational therapy, speech-language pathology, and counseling psychology an evidence-based yet deeply human framework for understanding PCS as a chronic, multifaceted condition.

Inhalt

Preface Chapter 1: The Dead of Winter Chapter 2: The Uncertainty of Life Chapter 3: Becoming Aware Chapter 4: Lost in Translation Chapter 5: It's Only Natural Chapter 6: The Long Haul Chapter 7: Milestones Chapter 8: Traveling with PCS Chapter 9: Invisible Injury Chapter 10: Down But Not Out Chapter 11: Identity Crises Chapter 12: Finding Our Way Chapter 13: Asking for Help Chapter 14: The Latest Research Appendix: Chapter Answer Key