Neuro-psychiatric complications of traumatic brain injury and orthopaedic injury: a comparative study

ABSTRACT

Background: Traumatic brain injury (TBI) has been found to increase the incidence of psychiatric illness such as depression and generalized anxiety disorder. Aims: To study the incidence of Psychiatric illness in individuals with TBI and in those with orthopaedic injury without evidence of TBI and to correlate the psychiatric illness in TBI with radiological findings. Methods: The study adopted a two group comparison cross sectional methodology. The study group comprised of 50 adult patients with TBI and control group of 50 adult patients with orthopaedic injury without TBI. The tools used were Socio-demographic Sheet (SDS), Mini International Neuropsychiatric Interview (MINI 6.0) Results: The overall incidence of psychiatric illness after TBI is significantly higher than those individuals with orthopaedic injury without TBI (22% vs. 8%). Also, presence of radiological abnormality in CT scan increases the incidence of psychiatric illness. Injury to right hemisphere, especially frontal lobe, increases the chances of major depression and injury to the left hemisphere, especially parietal lobe, increases the chances of generalised anxiety disorder. Conclusion: Presence of radiological abnormality and cerebral laterality were found to be associated with the development of psychiatric disorder after TBI.