BPD and head injuries

[daylily]

I think I may have seen this discussed here before, but does anyone know if BPD can be caused or exacerbated by a brain injury?  My uBPDh definitely had the signs beforehand, but he has been worse since a brain injury in a motorcycle accident.  In fact, when he does acknowledge his inability to control his emotions, he blames it on the brain injury.  Any other experiences like this or any info on the subject?

 Daylily

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[jrx]

This is something I know a little about. The short answer is it is possible to have mental issues appear or exacerbate them after brain trauma. The reason I know is because I had a traumatic brain injury in 2004 resulting in a subdural hematoma. I'm not BPD but my doctors and I ran through many of the possible outcomes.

And I'm not saying it's the case with your husband. You probably know BPDs very well, he may be using it as an excuse. But it is completely within the realm of possibility that he has more difficulty being in control of his emotions, or that his emotions more easily gravitate towards negativity, if his brain was damaged even slightly.

[waverider]

I think I may have seen this discussed here before, but does anyone know if BPD can be caused or exacerbated by a brain injury?  My uBPDh definitely had the signs beforehand, but he has been worse since a brain injury in a motorcycle accident.  In fact, when he does acknowledge his inability to control his emotions, he blames it on the brain injury.  Any other experiences like this or any info on the subject?

 Daylily

whatever the cause, and its rarely a single event, I doubt whether a pwBPD can pinpoint it. Inability to truly understand why they do what they do without just blaming something or someone, who may or may not have anything to do with it.

I guess any cause of trauma can trigger increased anxiety and stress, whether for a physical, or perceived reason. This causes ripples thoughout an unstable mentality

[byasliver]

I have been wondering about this myself. My husband has had several head injuries in his lifetime. He has been examined by VA drs and they are saying "no discernable evidence of TBI" but I also know the VA is very reluctant to give anyone an official diagnosis that could result in a disability claim. I just have a hard time believing that someone could have multiple head injuries over a lifetime without permanent damage. And, ironically, they are treating him as if he does have TBI... .  but without that official diagnosis, he can't file a disability claim. UGH!

I haven't read into TBI much because I'm still trying to absorb the BPD information. Anyone know of a good site that explains if/how TBI might complicate or manifest in a BPD person?