Main description:

Every year, 8,500 people in the UK will have a subarachnoid haemorrhage, of whom about 50 per cent will survive this traumatic brain injury which often occurs without warning. Survivors can make a 'good' neurological recovery but the psychosocial impact can be longer lasting.

Drawing from her own experience of surviving a subarachnoid haemorrhage, together with other people's journeys of recovery and recent research findings, Alison Wertheimer covers:

themes of recovery
leaving neurocare and early days of recovery
looking for help
physical, sensory and cognitive effects
the emotional impact of subarachnoid haemorrhage
the survivor's relationship with family and friends
returning to work
what helped the survivors with their recovery
subarachnoid haemorrhage as a life-changing event.

A Dented Image will be of interest to a wide-ranging audience: survivors and their families and friends; health professionals working with people recovering from acute brain injury in hospital and community-based services including doctors, nurses, psychologists, physiotherapists, occupational therapists and other members of rehabilitation teams. It may also be of interest to people recovering from other traumatic illnesses or injuries.

Contents:

Preface. The Dented Image. Part I: Setting the Scene. Background. Subarachnoid Haemorrhage: An Introduction. Personal Experiences of Subarachnoid Haemorrhage. Aspects of Recovery. Part II: Recovery. Leaving Hospital. Looking for Help. Physical and Sensory Effects. Cognitive Functioning. The Emotional Impact of Subarachnoid Haemorrhage. Part III: Family, Friends and Work. Family and Friends. Social Life and Leisure Activities. Employment: Changes and Alternatives. Part IV: Making Sense of it All. Finding Ways Through Recovery: What Helped. Changed Lives. Appendices.