TITLE:
Call for an Integrative and Multi-Disciplinary Approach to Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI)
AUTHORS:
Alfred Mansour, Renee Lajiness-O’Neill
KEYWORDS:
TBI, Traumatic Brain Injury, Neuropsychological Assessment, Cognitive Rehabilitation
JOURNAL NAME:
Psychology,
Vol.6 No.4,
March
6,
2015
ABSTRACT: Much has been gained in our understanding of the psychopathology,
assessment, and treatment of TBI. Still lacking is the breadth and depth that
an integrative and multi-disciplinary approach to TBI portends. While there is
a greater awareness of a need for such a systems-based approach as evidenced by
the number of professional organizations and government agencies recently
advocating a need for standardization in the collection data in TBI, the
application of multi-dimensional approach, and the development novel strategies
to deliver prevention, assessment and treatment to large, diverse populations,
we are still in the early stages in making this important shift. In the nearer term, there are
clinical assessment and interventional programs that can be developed and
empirically validated to bring us closer to this integrative,
multi-disciplinary ideal. The following review calls for a universal diagnostic
classification system for TBI, integration of pathophysiology and pharmacological
and rehabilitative therapies, development of treatments addressing disorders
comorbid with TBI, and the delivery of assessment and treatment services to
large underserved populations.