How emotional trauma can cause Traumatic Brain Injuries

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I looked at the diagnosis.

TBI - Traumatic Brain Injury

PTSD

Attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder, predominately inattentive type

Generalized anxiety disorder 

Panic disorder (episodic paroxysm anxiety) 

This is what Dr. Johnson told me. I sat in disbelief, looking at the report. Its been over 20 years, and I have been dealing with anxiety, depression, and panic attacks since I was 13. Now I finally had answers. 

I was at the Amen Clinic in downtown Los Angeles, and it had been over 4 months since I decided to pull the trigger and visit the Amen Clinic. My psychiatrist had recommended that I go to the Amen clinic after I tried another medicine for depression. Like the others, I still felt depressed, and my anxiety levels increased. I was already on medication for ADD, binge eating, hypertension, bouts of insomnia, and smoking. I took over 10 pills a day and did not want to take more drugs. I was tired and exhausted. My doctor handed me a leaflet that said the Amen clinic.

I said thanks, and I walked to my car, disappointed that my doctor didn't have a cure to these bouts of sadness that I was dealing with. I looked at the cost of the treatment; it was over 5,000 dollars. I crumpled the leaflet and threw it at the back of the car.

A week later, my husband cleaned my car and brought me the leaflet. He said he had read the brochure and then had checked them out with the website. He read from his mobile:

"The Amen Clinics Method is a multi-modal approach to treatment that uncovers the root cause of your issues or challenges that are not discovered by traditional psychiatry. We believe it is critical to look at your brain within the context of your life, which includes biological, psychological, social, and spiritual influences. See the full patient journey below.

Our comprehensive approach to mental health has shown that psychiatric conditions are not single or simple disorders. They all have multiple types, so the same treatment plan won't work for everybody, and it could make your symptoms worse. The Amen Clinics Method is different. With over 200,000 brain scans, our database helps us more successfully identify various types of ADD, anxiety, depression, and many other mental health conditions, so you get the answers you've been looking for.”

He showed me the conditions that could be helped.  

Photos from https://www.amenclinics.com/case_study/

I clicked on the anxiety and depression link and saw the following:

I was curious; I had issues depression, anxiety and social issues in various parts of my life; maybe all of my behaviors were related? 

I clicked on the link for brain SPECT imaging :

I stopped and reread this sentence - How can you know what's going on inside your head if nobody ever looks?

That was the moment I decided I would go to the Amen clinic. I spent thousands of dollars a year on medication, herbal supplements, therapist fees - I could afford this. 

The following week, I paid the fees, and the comprehensive process began, that included :

• An introductory call to help me understand what to expect from the process

• A thorough interview (takes about two hours) discussing symptoms about 4 key areas of your life—Biological, Psychological, Social, and Spiritual—that may be contributing to those symptoms.

• A lab slip to complete blood work

• A web-based neuropsychological test called Total Brain, which measures your cognitive, emotional, and intellectual functioning

• A SPECT brain image

• Meeting with a psychiatrist that provides you with a comprehensive report, brain images, and treatment plan to explain findings and go over testing results.

After my brain scan, I was assigned to Dr. Johnson. He was extremely attentive, understanding, and resourceful in suggesting various supplements and medications based on my scan results and physical/ mental symptoms.

Dr. Johnson explained to me what some of my findings were and what they meant:

1: Decreased left temporal lobe tracer activity and decreased right temporal lobe tracer activity

This abnormality may be associated with several different symptoms, including mood instability, irritability, memory problems, abnormal perceptions (auditory or visual illusions, periods of deja vu), periods of anxiety or irritability with little provocation, periods of spaciness or confusion, and unexplained headaches or abdominal pain. Decreased activity in the temporal lobes may also be associated with learning problems, especially reading comprehension difficulties and auditory processing problems.

Problems in the right temporal lobe have been associated with social withdrawal, social skill struggles, and depression (more inwardly directed difficulties than left-sided problems). If clinically indicated, it may be helped by anticonvulsant medications. A supplement alternative might be GABA to help inhibit erratic firing. If memory problems are the primary issue, we often prescribe acetylcholine-esterase inhibitors or a group of supplements to enhance memory, such as gingko biloba and Phosphatidylserine.

2: Decreased tracer activity in the inferior orbital prefrontal cortex seen on both studies, decreased prefrontal cortex pole tracer 

When decreased activity in the inferior orbital prefrontal cortex is seen during a resting state and improves with concentration, it is often associated with depressive disorders and may be responsive to antidepressant medication.

3: Diamond pattern of limbic activity 

The diamond plus pattern (increased anterior cingulate, basal ganglia, limbic) indicates past emotional trauma.

4: Increased left and right basal ganglia tracer activity  and increased left insular tracer activity 

Seen frequently in people who struggle with anxiety (left-sided problems are often associated with irritability, right-sided problems are 

more often associated with inwardly directed anxiety). If clinically indicated, it may be helped by antianxiety medications and deep relaxation techniques. 

5: Increased diffuse and focal thalamic tracer activity 

Seen frequently in people who have issues with depression, dysthymia (chronic mild depression), or mood cycles. Clinical correlation is essential. In our research, there is a trend for left-sided problems to be associated with anger and irritability. Right-sided issues are more often associated with inwardly directed sadness. If clinically indicated, diffuse increased limbic uptake is often helped by antidepressant medications. If there is also increased anterior cingulate activity, consider a serotonergic antidepressant. If there is no increased anterior cingulate activity, consider an antidepressant that increases dopamine or norepinephrine. 

6: Brain injury. A combination of findings suggests past brain injury. These findings include:

Decreased prefrontal pole activity

Decreased temporal lobe activity.

7: Very mild scalloping of the brain

This finding occurs when the brain appears scalloped or dehydrated on the outside surface. It is often associated with toxic exposure (such as to drugs, alcohol, or environmental toxins), infection or oxygen deprivation at some point in the past. We have also seen it in widespread trauma.

It was a lot of information, and Dr. Johnson provided me with a list of recommendations that included the following:

EMDR - Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) is a psychotherapy treatment that was initially designed to alleviate the distress associated with traumatic memories=Neuroplasticity

Neuroplasticity: Enroll in a neuroplasticity program that helps break the limbic loop from the deep emotional center to the frontal cortex. This loop keeps chronic illness going. Neuroplasticity treatment teaches you ways to retrain your brain to get you out of the depressive and anxious patterns you are experiencing.

A bunch of herbal supplements including GABA, L-theanine, CoQ10, and Lumbrokinase

A healthy diet 

Exercise

Meditation

It’s not easy but I now have a plan and hope that things will get easier for me in the long run. My journey is a work in progress,  the plan above has been working, and I can see the gradual changes in my mood and outlook. I am sharing this story to give others hope who are struggling to get some answers about their mental health. 

You can get additional information about the Amen clinic by visiting https://www.amenclinics.com/