Kriseopplevelser etter ervervet hjerneskade. En etnografisk studie
Sammanfattning
Background: Cognitive impairment from acquired brain injury can be difficult for those affected. Coping with life may cause anxiety.
Psychiatric problems often arise. People often get socially isolated, and the risk of suicide is high.
Objective: This study aims to explore how people with cognitive impairments experience their environment and how experiences of crisis make
sense in their life.
Method: The study was based on 16 late-term rehabilitation patients, with mild to moderate brain injuries. Ethnographic methods with
4-months participant observation and 26 in-depth interviews were used.
Results: The participants experienced break-down in daily routines. Their security disappeared. They could experience disruptions to the
outer world. This could lead to anxiety. The notion "Crisis of presence" describes the experiences. Some people could have suicidal thoughts.
A number of participants went on in life by using metaphors to describe and interpret their experiences and to create coherence in life.
Conclusion: Mental disorders and depression increases after brain injury. Suicide may occur without these disorders. Brain injuries often lead
to cognitive uncontrollable situations with anxiety and crisis, and the patients need to protect from the crisis. Being aware of this, professionals
may discover or prevent suicide-risk not otherwise identified.