Post Concussional Syndrome (PCS)
“Emergence and variable persistence of group of symptoms following a head injury” King (1997). Concussion is a temporary injury to the brain caused by a strong hit on the head, an accident blow or jolt to the head.
It usually only lasts up to few days or weeks, although it sometimes needs emergency treatment and some people can have longer-lasting problems.
Signs and symptoms of concussion
Signs of a concussion usually appear within a few minutes or hours of a head injury.
But occasionally they may not be obvious for a few days, so it’s important to look out for any problems in the days following a head injury.
Symptoms include:
- Headache that doesn’t go away or isn’t relieved with painkillers
- Dizziness
- Feeling sick or vomiting
- Feeling stunned, dazed or confused
- Memory loss – you may not remember what happened before or after the injury
- Clumsiness or trouble with balance
- Unusual behaviour – you may become irritated easily or have sudden mood swings
- Changes in your vision – such as blurred vision, double vision or “seeing stars”
- Being knocked out or struggling to stay awake
Postconcussional symptoms overlap with psychiatric syndromes (anxiety, depression, PTSD) and other disorders (e.g. chronic fatigue) is high.
Signs and symptoms of concussion
Still, there are some individual who develop persistent PCS symptoms, and there are emotional and psychological difficulties that maybe present after the injury. Cognitive behavioural therapy is one of the recommended modalities for dealing with these issues.
Below are some examples of the behavioural and psychological issues and the recommended intervention for them:
Behavioural aspects
- Some individuals tend to misinterpret any or various bodily sensations as serious injury issue even though their physical injury is healed. For instance: they will attribute simple headache to serious problem with their brain.
- In therapy the ultimate goal is focussing on sustainable levels of / increasing tolerance to effort / activity, and building up.
- Focus on cognitive/behavioural responses to symptoms (rather than attributions regarding their causes) may be more helpful.
- Avoidance of various activities or feelings. Some individuals will tend to avoid some chores or socializing
- In therapy: increase their understanding the role of avoidance (travel phobia, social anxiety and agoraphobia; elements of depressive apathy)
- Wearing the recommended equipment when taking part in a contact sport, such as boxing
- Making sure any contact sport you or your child are taking part in is supervised by a properly qualified and trained person
- Wearing a seatbelt when driving
- Wearing a helmet when riding a motorcycle, bicycle or horse
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Psycho-oncology
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CBT
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Psychometric Assessments
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Children, Adults and Family therapy
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Psychology graduation from the University of Wisconsin
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Licensed by Community Development Authority
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Mood disorders
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Anxiety disorders
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Improving life skills (social skills, self- esteem, decision making, coping with stress, problem solving, and time management)
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MBBS COLLEAGUE OF MEDICINE, KING SAUD UNIVERSITY 2003 (KKU).
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ARAB BOARD OF MEDICAL SPECIALTIES IN PSYCHIATRY 2007
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ANXIETY DISORDERS WORKSHOP (DIPLOMA), 2010
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ADDICTION FELLOWSHIP UCLA, USA, 2010-2011
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ADDICTION RESEARCH AND MATRIX TRAINING, ISAP, UCLA, LOS ANGELES, CA, USA 2014-2015
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BACHELOR’S DEGREE OF MEDICINE AND SURGERY
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ARAB BOARD OF MEDICAL SPECIALTIES IN PSYCHIATRY
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ADDICTION FELLOWSHIP UCLA 2011, 2015
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BETTY FORD CERTIFICATE, ADDICTION PROGRAM 2010
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CDA) Licensed Psychologist
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At LifeWorks Holistic Counselling Center Dubai, Dr. Bardi works collaboratively within our expert multidisciplinary team, in treating a wide array of psychiatric conditions including:
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Anxiety disorders
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Substance use disorders
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Mood disorders including depression and Bipolar affective disorders
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Psychotic disorders (Schizophrenia and other psychotic disorders)
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Personality disorders
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Cognitive disorders including Dementia
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Learning disabilities (intellectual disability disorders)
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Child and adolescents’ disorders like Separation anxiety disorders, conduct
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disorders and ADHD
Preventing concussion
There’s no guaranteed way to prevent concussion, but there are some simple things you can do that may reduce your risk of a head injury.
It’s important to avoid head injuries as repeated concussions or blows to the head have been linked to serious problems, including a brain condition called chronic traumatic brain conditions
By Dr Sarah Almarzooqi
Clinical Psychologist
If you would like to talk, feel free to reach out to us. An LifeWorks therapist would be able to help.
Dr. Naeema Ali trained psychology and social worker students of UAE University. She is actively providing counselling support to cancer patients and their families. She launched an occupational therapy for cancer patients and cognitive behavioural therapy in Tawam.
Due to her continued support in oncology and ongoing support to cancer patients, Naeema received countless awards locally and international to recognize her achievements and skills. She has been invited to participate in various conferences and workshops around the world and invited as a guest speaker in various subjects that covers psychology.
She also joined Al Sayegh Medical Center as a Social Worker, providing comprehensive assessment and treatment services to children and families, in inpatient and/or outpatient settings, and communicates with referral sources as indicated by applying psychometric test, such as IQ Test, MMPI, Wechsler Test for children. Exhibit superior communication skills to uncover complicated mental health issues; develop and recommend treatment plans based on patient needs and diagnosis.
She continued working as a clinical psychologist providing counselling within the multi-cultural environment of the Emirates Airlines for the past 15 years. Her main task is providing mental health support to inflight and ground staff and addresses any problems, anxieties, or job-related stresses that they are dealing with. She uses her findings to help improve processes and behaviors of a patient to maintain a safe environment, to manage stress, overcome trauma, or avoid job-related conflicts. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy is the method Naeema is using to reduce the difficulties, anxieties, and stress that employee faces.
Naeema is also part of “ Shawer ”, the “Seek Our Advice”, and “We Listen To You” program of the Family Development Foundation of Abu Dhabi. The aim of the program was to promote family awareness and support a stable family life. It involves a group of community members who deal with family problems in a positive manner and provide individual and group counseling in social, psychological, and educational areas. They do so in a systematic way according to the needs of community members.
Besides “ Shawer ”, Naeema is also a volunteer of “ Friends of Cancer ” of Sharjah, supporting patients and their families to overcome the multitude psychological difficulties that they are experiencing due to cancer treatment as well as introducing some programs such as health education, self-care and some community programs wherein they can collaborate and share their experiences.
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Dr. Mohammed Bardi M.B.B.S, M.D (Psychiatry) has worked under different capacities in clinical and hospital setups in Saudi, USA, and UAE. He comes with over 15 years of experience in mental health. He specifically worked with cases relating to schizophrenic, bipolar disorder, dual diagnosis, major depressive disorder with suicidal risks, anxiety disorders, Intellectual disabilities, Autistic spectrum disorders and attention deficit hyperactivity disorders (ADHD).
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