MEDICAL PROBLEMS IN TBI: SEXUALITY IN
TRAUMATIC BRAIN INJURY
Sexuality is an important factor that contributes to
the sense of identity each of us develops as a social and emotional being.
Expression of sexuality is greatly influenced by self-esteem and self-perception,
or, by the way we view ourselves in relation to our environment and other
individuals. Changes in appearance, thinking skills, and/or physical changes
related to brain injury alter an individual's self-perception and result
in accompanying changes in the expression of sexual thoughts and impulses.
He/she is often insecure about the ability to express and experience affection
and concerned about attractiveness and sexual effectiveness. Sexuality is
therefore a valid rehabilitation issue for the individual with TBI that requires
support and understanding from the family and counseling.
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Based on Brain Injury Patient Care and
Education Manual, by Pinecrest Rehabilitation Hospital; Neuro section of
the Trauma Manual, Jackson Memorial Hospital; and Recovering from Head Injury;
a Guide for Patients, by Nova University Neuropsychology Service, and edited
for PoinTIS by the Louis Calder Memorial Library of the University of Miami
School of Medicine and the PoinTIS Advisory Committee, and on Rehabilitation
of Persons with Traumatic Brain Injury, NIH Consensus Statement 1998 Oct.
26-28.
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