daughter's friend with multiple hits to the head
 

Hello,
I have a daughter who has PCS (3yrs now) and she befriended a young surfer 2 yrs older who also has PCS but from multiple hits to the head. He was actually doing great last fall and started a college classes. Things went downhill and his word finding ability and ability to be social pretty much came to a halt.

She recently saw him and he has gone downhill so much that she is scared for him. In her words, he is acting irrationally (walking along the cliffs and yelling at surfers or beachgoers, taking all kinds of risks, showing up dirty, telling her that he is going to run away. He showed up at a house that she was house sitting with a heavy backpack filled with useless things and all his clothes had coffee spilled on it. She says that it's as if he is manic)

This is not the kid she knew last year. She spoke to his parents and they don't know what to do. Neither she nor his parents believe drugs are involved.

So she asked me if there is a residential place where all the tests for TBI can be run and his depression can be helped. In her mind she thinks that he went backwards and that he has just given up.

I really didn't know what to say to her and she wants me to talk to his parents. She's super scared that he'll put himself in danger and get hurt, if not die.

Any thoughts? Ideas? I can print out the vitamin sticky with the list of amino acids (trytophan). I can tell him about this blog. I can recommend a good psychiatrist for meds and so on but I was really hoping that there is someplace that would help him for his TBI before he gets into trouble.

Thank you

hopefulmom,

Welcome to NeuroTalk. It does sound like her friend is having serious struggles. PCS can be brutal on mental health, especially when there is no professional observing the patient.

What state are you in ? It can make a difference in resources available.

Sometimes, parents chalk this up to just an odd phase. It sounds like much more to me. Your county mental health department may be of help.

Let us know how else we can help.

My best to you.

Thanks Mark...I didn't think about the county. I am fine. I just met the boy once or twice and that was 1 1/2 yrs ago. I believe the family has health insurance and he is still younger than 26 so he should be able to be on their insurance. I was just going to find resources for him. My daughter has a good relationship with the family. She might be able to give them ideas. As we've have found out--it's a marathon and not a sprint--quick fix.

Thank again

We are in Santa Cruz, CA.

Hopefulmom

Santa Cruz County Mental Health has a link at http://www.santacruzhealth.org/cmhs/2transition.htm

They might want to have him checked out at Dr. Jacob Benford's office. https://plus.google.com/106012745243...ut?gl=us&hl=en

I see he has a special interest in concussion management.

Unfortunately, Dr. Jacob Benford, MD is really an emergency doctor and he releases his pt's to other doctors. Sleep issues are the big problem with this young man.