ABSTRACT
Since the majority of closed head injuries can be classified as mild head injury (MHI), the purpose of this chapter is to provide a literature review and outline regarding symptoms of MHI. Common effects on the family and intervention strategies will also be reviewed. MHI is different from most traumatic brain injury (TBI); since it is less severe, laboratory diagnostic tests are of little use, and the symptoms are often more subtle. However, the subtlety associated with MHI may mask the immediate recognition of cognitive deficits and cause as much family estrangement and burden as more severe head injury. Since families of persons with MHI do not pass through states of relative disequilibrium commonly found in TBI, it is common for such systems to get “stuck” in a pattern of dysfunctional behavior, often oscillating between unsatisfactory behavioral solutions. Therefore, MHI presents unique issues for the individual with MHI, his or her family, and the neurobehavioral family therapist.
