Personality after head injury.

Abstract

For the discussion of post-traumatic so-called full recovery, only a very limited array of injured persons were at our disposal. Two-thirds of these patients are young and their personality needs long, patient rehabilitation. However, duration of coma in young severely injured patients does not seem to mean the same as in elderly patients. Of the last third of our patients the greatest number work as craftsmen. Among the patients with a higher level of education, there were only 7% of patients with full recovery and also 7% with partial recovery, who actually went back to their original work. For the assessment of results, we have to be aware of the important differences of age and level of education. Therefore it would be probably worth-while to continue the work of Jean Brihaye in the Glossary, to define the items of post-traumatic personality, so that for a strongly restricted assessment of results, a limited but clearly defined group of patients can be compared.