Did brain injury play a role in afghan massacre?
 

Unfortunately, this is a story with which I myself find resonance. (Not to worry, we're all under control.)

DID BRAIN INJURY PLAY A ROLE IN AFGHAN MASSACRE?
New details about a staff sergeant in custody for a brutal massacre in Afghanistan has experts looking at the unseen wounds of war.

By Sheila Eldred
Tue Mar 13, 2012 01:00 PM ET


THE GIST

• Soldiers suffer from concussions and mild traumatic brain injury at high rates.
• When the frontal lobe is injured, inhibition can be lost.
• Mild traumatic brain injuries and PTSD share symptoms.

*edit*
full story at this link-
http://news.discovery.com/human/sold...ry-120313.html

Or maybe the soldier responsible was simply a murderer who felt he could get away with it under war conditions.

The recent reports point to both his history of blast injury/PCS, PTSD and his self-medication with alcohol. It is reported that he was intoxicated at the time of the massacre.

As one who intimately understands how PTSD and PCS can manifest to cause aberrant thoughts, this situation is understandable but not excusable. The big problem is the ability for soldiers to evade the PTSD diagnostic and counseling efforts.

This is a touchy subject but may apply re TBI/PCS, but we will close it if comments become too political or disruptive to the peace of the community here.
Thank you




Most articles and stories online will have a some sort of copyright, so the best way to share is use a intro paragraph and add the link to original article.

Will follow forum guidelines to the best of my ability in the future.

Just to mention, I had absolutely no political agenda in posting this article, my interest being purely medical. I have a specific scientific interest in researching correlation between anger, aggression, and even violence with frontal cerebral lobe injuries. I realize it is not a pleasant topic, and tends to spark opinionated discussions. But I believe that the more we know about it, the better our chance at preventing such situations.

I usually post a link to original copyrighted articles, not sure why I ommitted it here. Must have been a brain thing!

EDIT: I would also add that I had hoped this posting would spark a discussion on the mechanics of control loss in survivors of frontal lobe injuries, namely the compromise of Executive Function resident in the frontal cortex areas, and subsequent loss of control over deeper and more primitive emotional drives, including aggression and violence. The author of this article did an especially good job at describing this mechanism and relating it to the current event, without delving too far into complicated medical jargon. Thus I felt highly compelled to pass on this article, especially at a time when awareness about the effects of brain injury is so critical. I hope anyone who might respond to this post appreciate the restriction on moral or political commentary. Per the mods, medical only, folks, thanks.

Kenjhee,
My injury was to the frontal lobe and there's no doubt in my mind that it has a bearing on my personality as well as anger, irritability, aggression etc.

I was a very easy going, patient person before the injury... and my husband and kids will tell you that's all changed. I would love to see articles supporting this, the docs seem to avoid it.

This research seems to support it. Although I wasn't able to make it through the whole article.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2918269/

Yes, that's the spirit, Headstrong! This is why I posted the article in the first place. To bring awareness to the connection between head injury (especially frontal) and violence. Not just for the brain injury survivors, but with hope of preventing the next catastrophe.

The message I wanted to get out is I summarized above: control over primitive emotions is physically located in the frontal lobes of the brain. When this area is damaged, as can easily happen, certain signature symptoms may appear: loss of self control, increased anger and hostility, impulsive and erratic behavior, and even violence or criminal activity.

Our chance lies with pre-screening for injury survivors with a high-risk profile. We need to know before-hand who is most likely to lose control. TBI is the signature wound of the mid-east wars, and a lot of our young men and women are coming back now. I don't think this problem will go away by itself. In fact, I think it is just beginning.