X marks the spot

 

X

I'm passionate about mental health awareness, and I'm excited to share some great resources with you. X is an amazing platform for mental health resources. Here are a few sites that have stood out to me. These sites are excellent resources to connect with, and they all have good stories to share. I want to thank each and every one of you for sharing your knowledge and struggles, and for making this world a more positive place.

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https://x.com/JasonKehlRMH?s=20

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https://x.com/BipolarOwn?s=20

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https://x.com/BipolarSafe?s=20

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https://t.co/qPvjAZRbgV

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https://x.com/PaintedBraiNews?s=20

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https://t.co/wma0fyxJI7

Deep Impact

 The Effects of a Second Concussion

• Traumatic brain injury (TBI) affects nearly 2 million people annually in the United States, with falls and motor vehicle accidents being the most common causes (Hooley et al., 2019).
• According to Hooley and colleagues (2019), these are the most susceptible demographics to TBI:

1. Children 0 to 4 years old
2. Adolescents 15 to 19 years old
3. Adults 65 years and older

• The DSM-5 categorizes cognitive impairments from head injuries as major or mild neurocognitive disorders.

Explosive blasts in the past have caused an increase in TBI cases among military personnel, and this has caused TBI to become the signature injury of the Iraq War. About 15 percent of soldiers serving in Iraq experienced a TBI. Full recovery may not be possible for many survivers. (Hooley et al, 2019)

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Two types of brain injuries:

1. Closed-head injuries -  The skull remains intact.
1. 
   Close-head injuries cause indirect damage due to forces that cause the brain to actually inadvertently make contact with the skull wall.
2. Rotational forces can also cause the brain to inadvertently twist the brain mass in relation to the brain stem. This injury causes neuron damage due to shearing forces on the nerve fibers and their synaptic interconnections (Hooley et al., 2019).
2. Penetrating head injuries - An object enters the brain such as a bullet.

Severe head injuries will often cause someone to lose consciousness. When this happens there is a major disruption of circulatory, metabolic, and neurotransmitter regulation. These types of injuries usually lead to (Hooley et al., 2019) :

1. Retrograde amnesia - which is an inability to recall the events immediately preceding the injury
2. Anterograde amnesia - which is an inability to effectively store memories of events that happen after the trauma.

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Recovery

Recovery from unconsciousness caused by a head injury varies from minutes to days. It is not uncommon for the survivor to go through stages of stupor and confusion. In some cases, the survivor may remain in a coma for a period of time. This coma may be followed by delirium which is evident by acute excitement, disorientation, and hallucinations. Gradually all of this may clear up and the survivor may actually regain appropriate contact with reality.

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Minor closed-head brain concussions and contusions occur frequently due to car accidents, sports injuries, and falls. Some theme park rides can actually cause high enough G-forces in som individuals by creating small tears in delicate blood vessels in the brain. (Hooley, et al., 2019)

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If you have a concussion, your brain is four to five times more likely to be damaged by a second head injury, and this increased risk lasts for several weeks.

References

Hooley, J. M., Nock, M. K., & Butcher, J. N. (2019). Abnormal Psychology (18th ed.). Pearson Education (US). https://bookshelf.vitalsource.com/books/9780135191033

 

When You're Partying And This Happens

GHB OVERDOSE

 

First of all, if you have ever been in a situation where you were hanging and partying with someone and that person overdosed on GHB and you did not leave their side then I salute you. It is a scary situation, and a recent study by Freestone and colleagues (2023) uncovered some common interventions that people are using when responding to a GHB overdose.

 

 Their study revealed a need for education on how to handle these situations (Freestone et al, 2023), and here are some of their suggestions:

When first notice something is wrong.

 Are they so sleepy that it's hard to stay awake and think clearly?

Do Not Leave Them Alone 

• Check their breathing (Freestone et al, 2023):

• Look, Listen, and Feel for Breathing.

• If non-responsive and not normal breathing, then first aid recommendations are to call EMS and start CPR

 Call emergency medical services if someone is not responsive, assess breathing, and place in the recovery position. To manage airway open mouth and check for foreign material. If foreign material is present roll the patient onto their side and clear the airway. If there is no foreign material, leave the patient in the position found, and open the airway by tilting the head back with a chin lift.

 

References

  Freestone, J., Ezard, N., Bourne, A., Brett, J., Roberts, D., Hammoud, M., Nedanoski, A., Prestage, G., & Siefried, K. (2023). Understandings, attitudes, practices and responses to GHB overdose among GHB consumers [Review of Understandings, attitudes, practices and responses to GHB overdose among GHB consumers]. Harm Reduction Journal, 20(1). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12954-023-00857-z