Emotions

     If you have a family member or friend who is a victim of TBI, it is normal for you to experience made emotional reactions, such as:

Panic and Fear - at least until the patient becomes stable medically.

Shock and Denial - feelings that what has happened is not real or that serious.

Anger - directed at the patient for allowing the injury to occur and/or at the rehabilitation team for doing and saying things you may not feel are right.

Guilt - feelings that you could have done something to prevent the injury, which may or may not be true.

Isolation - trouble relating to people who are not as involved in the injury as you are and who you feel will not understand.

Hope and Anxiety - as the patient begins to stablilize, you may feel a combination of anxiety about his/her progress and hope at the same time.

Coping

     To help you cope with the stressful situation:

• Express your feelings - both positive and negative ones - with family members, friends, and the rehabilitation staff
• Take time for yourself, away from the patient - take a walk, dine with a friend, and go home or away from the hospital to eat and sleep
• Accept the offers of assistance you receive
• Keep a journal or log of important information and organize records and information for easy access
• Rotate visits with family and friends, so the patient is not alone and you have some time to yourself