PM&R’s Role in Addressing Mood Disturbances and Pseudobulbar Affect (PBA) in Brain Injury-Session Recording

Video Transcription

Video Summary

In this video, Dr. Zorowitz and Dr. Fusco discuss mood disorders in brain injury and provide an overview of the common mood disturbances observed in brain injury populations. They discuss the importance of diagnosing and treating these mood disturbances, as they can hinder participation in interventions and affect optimal recovery. They focus on mood disorders such as major depression disorder, anxiety, traumatic stress, post-traumatic stress, and pseudobulbar affect. They discuss the criteria for diagnosing these mood disorders, the use of self-reporting scales and clinician-rated scales for assessment, and the comorbidity of mood disorders with other conditions such as substance misuse. They also touch on the epidemiology of these mood disturbances in brain injury patients and discuss the differential diagnosis for mood disturbances. Dr. Fusco then discusses the pharmacological and non-pharmacological treatment options for anxiety, depression, and post-traumatic stress disorder in brain injury patients. She emphasizes the importance of understanding the recovery trajectory after brain injury and tailoring treatment to the specific stage of recovery. Finally, she discusses the use of psychotherapy and non-pharmacological interventions such as physical exercise, sleep hygiene, and social interactions in managing these mood disorders.

Keywords

mood disorders

brain injury

mood disturbances

diagnosis

treatment

anxiety

post-traumatic stress disorder

pharmacological treatment

non-pharmacological treatment