Many Florida patients who have been involved in an accident are diagnosed with a mild traumatic brain injury or post-traumatic stress disorder. However, the symptoms of PTSD and a TBI are very similar, and there could be a lot of people who have been affected by both of the conditions simultaneously. Some of the overlapping symptoms include depression, anxiety, fatigue and concentration problems.
The only screening tool that currently exists for a correct diagnosis is a doctor’s opinion. Even if a doctor is highly skilled at diagnosing these conditions using a subjective process, many patients could end up being misdiagnosed. Researchers are now trying to distinguish between PTSD and a TBI so that a precise diagnosis will be possible.
Researchers from Harvard Medical School, Brigham and Women’s Hospital and a non-profit research company have joined forces to develop a medical test that may be capable of diagnosing TBIs and PTSD. Using veterans affected by trauma, healthy veterans and civilians as test subjects, the researchers are using a magnetic resonance spectroscopy to analyze metabolites in the brain. If researchers can identify similar patterns of metabolites in patients, they may be able to develop precise diagnostic criteria for each condition.
Although brain injuries are often associated with contact sports like football and soccer, they can also arise after any blow to the head, such as a car accident or a sudden fall. When the injury has been caused by another person’s negligence, an attorney could be of assistance in seeking compensation for the victim through a lawsuit filed against the at-fault party.