I recently went to a local brain injury group and the guest speaker was giving a talk about brain inured people and their problems with relationships and displaying emotions. According to the research the majority of Brain injured people surveyed suffered some form of Alexithymia post injury

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alexithymia has a good description

The research indicated that people with TBI not only have problems with their own feelings either containing them (anger / tears etc.) or talking openly but also in recognising emotions in their partners. The study took in both the injured people and their non injured partners. The non injured partners consistent view was that their partners seemed often "cold" and uncaring.

One of the scary statistics of her research was that around 1/3 of the people studied suffered a break up in their relationship - some permanent and rest temporary. Of the rest that stuck with their relationship a third of these said there relationship was not the same and that the person they new prior to injury was not the same person afterwords. Which in some respects given the traumatic nature of many accidents and injuries is understandable.

If people have the time and capability it may be worth doing their own reading on Alexithymia. The statistics brought it home that I must try harder to keep my relationship going .......