Dealing With Anger and Aggression

    The brain is a very powerful and mysterious organ. Having a brain injury is not like having a broken finger, or an injured shoulder. Many areas of the brain remain unknown to science. Therefore, who knows if one part of the brain can help the injured part? Some scientists have proven that the uninjured portion of the brain can "take over " for the injured area. That term is known as post injury "neuroplasticity" of the brain. However, in my opinion, the positive attitude to make this work must come from the survivor and the people around the survivor.

Dealing with anger and aggression.  Many people write to me about their loved ones being angry and not being able to control it.
Here are some suggestions: (As stated on my web site, I am not a health care professional.  It is necessary to discuss all of these ideas with you doctor or therapist before attempting them.  As I have written before, everyone is different and this may or may not work for you. )

1.There are medications that might be able to help control it.  Discuss these with your neurologist.  One web site that touches on medications for aggression among other conditions is Head Injury Lawyers. After you get there, click on "recovery" and then click on "medications". But in order for the meds to work, the survivor must have a positive attitude.

2. Discuss the medications that you or your loved one is presently taking with your neurologist. Some medication's side effects may actually promote anger and aggression. Also, some combination of drugs can cause aggression. If you find out that it is one of the side effects, discuss with your neurologist about altering the dosage or changing meds, but only if he or she thinks that is a good idea.

3. I believe that the survivor must make a choice. "Do I want this brain injury to control me, or do I want to control it?" "Do I want to be alone, with no job or friends and feeling miserable, or do I want to have people whom I care about around me, and the most meaningful life I can manage." Once the choice is made, we go no further, or we do something about the anger. The survivor can, if he wants to, try to realize that uncomfortable feeling right before an outburst. If he can pinpoint the frustration, or other feelings of rage that makes him or her lash out, and realize that the aggression is on the way, maybe he or she can do something to curb it.

4. Keeping a journal.  I believe that it is very beneficial to have the survivor keep a pad of paper and pen or pencil with them at all times to write down their feelings. If they get angry, if possible, write down why.  If it is a negative feeling, try to write a positive one next to it.  Example: "I lost my career because of this freaking brain injury!" Next to that, write, "I could be dead, but I survived, and there must be a good reason for it."

5. Realizing, each time one becomes furious, that it is probably just from the injury, there is no real outside reason for it, and therefore it can possibly be controlled.  Being educated to why one feels the way they do creates empowerment.  If one knows what to expect as the angry feeling starts to overwhelm them, one can be ready for it, and therefore be ready to try to control it.

6. Counting to ten.  It really works if the person wants it to.

7. Going outside if possible.  Going outside is a great stress reliever.

8. If it is a male survivor, check out the testosterone level in his bloodstream.  This can easily be done by a medical doctor.  If the brain can regulate many bodily functions such as blood pressure, it just might regulate hormones.  Too much testosterone might be responsible for too much anger. I am also told that an imbalance between testosterone and estrogen levels should be checked as well.

9. Realize that you are not alone.  One of the most frequent complaints to me about living with the brain injured survivor is that of the anger factor, and yet they think they are the only ones experiencing this.  Seek out others who have gone through this and listen to their suggestions.  It is imperative for men and women survivors and caregivers to find a local support group, or if that is impossible, seek out support on the Internet.  There are many effective web sites where survivors and caregivers can share stories.  In helping others cope, one actually helps themselves as well. Some of these web sites are listed on my helpful links page.