Evaluation and Management of Posttraumatic Cognitive Impairments.

Psychiatrists are increasingly called upon to care for individuals with cognitive, emotional, and behavioral disturbances after TBI, especially in settings serving military service personnel and Veterans. In both the early and late post-injury periods, cognitive impairments contribute to disability among persons with TBI and are potentially substantial sources of suffering for persons with TBI and their families. In this article, the differential diagnosis, evaluation, and management of posttraumatic cognitive complaints is reviewed. The importance of pre-treatment evaluation as well as consideration of non-cognitive contributors to cognitive problems and functional limitations is emphasized first. The course of recovery after TBI, framed as a progression through posttraumatic encephalopathy, is reviewed next and used to anchor the evaluation and treatment of posttraumatic cognitive impairments in relation to injury severity as well as time post-injury. Finally, pharmacologic and rehabilitative interventions that may facilitate cognitive and functional recovery at each stage of posttraumatic encephalopathy are presented.