CTE Matters To Me
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CTE Matters To Me
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What is CTE?
- Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy is a progressive neurodegenerative disease.
- It is caused by repetitive head impacts over time (not single incidents).
- It cannot be definitively diagnosed while living, but symptoms can be recognized.
- Symptoms typically appear 8-10 years after head impact exposure.
Two video explanations
1. From the Concussion Legacy Foundation, Dr Ann McKee explains.
2. The second video is a very in-depth New Zealand-based presentation, called CTE IN AOTEAROA, presented by Dr Helen Murray, Senior Research Fellow, Department of Anatomy and Medical Imaging, University of Auckland.
It's intended for general practitioners, physiotherapists, and anyone who treats athletes and individuals with a history of repeated head injuries and concussion. In the video she explains that their goal is to find biomarkers which will help them to detect CTE pathology during someone's lifetime.
If you would like to watch it, please click the link.
CTE Risk Factors
- Contact sports (rugby, boxing, football, hockey)
- Military service with blast exposure
- History of domestic violence
- Multiple concussions or subconcussive impacts
- Any pattern of repetitive head trauma
Treatment for suspected CTE
Suspected CTE needs treatment for brain injury, not for a 'mental health condition' or a 'psychiatric condition'.
The need for medical education and training for suspected CTE and brain injuries generally
New Zealand's present system of educating and training medical students is leading to tragedy for people with brain injuries, who are being misdiagnosed with 'mental health' issues.
Imagine if there existed a curriculum for medical students which was anchored in the first principles of the domain of medicine, which included:
- "First do no harm" - the first principle of the domain of medicine
- a foundational knowledge of what brain injury IS in general terms, and the many different kinds of brain injuries, in specific terms.
- how brain injury is not a 'mental health issue', in terms of causation and presentation, although in presentation there may be similarities
- how to ask patients about their history of head knocks and concussion
- the dangers of giving psychoactive compounds to patients with brain injuries, which includes reading the Medsafe data sheets for specific psychoative compounds, especially the contraindications for patients with brain injuries
- research into which specific compounds can help people with brain injuries and suspected CTE, without inducing further harm
- research into nutritional approaches of helping the body rebuild and recover
- research into the existing range of treatments for brain injuries, including anecdotal new methods of treatment
- research into the possible consequences to individual patients and their families, of regarding a brain injury as a 'mental health issue'
- using guided drama and role play to explore and experience the impact of not being believed about having a brain injury, and instead being misdiagnosed with a 'mental health issue'
Systemic Issues
Imagine if New Zealand had a health system which included nationwide 'Brain Injury Treatment and Support Units'. These would provide proper respite and treatment for people with brain injuries, instead of the drug-based approaches of 'mental health units'. The costs of establishing and running the proposed nationwide Brain Injury Treatment and Support units would be met in a variety of ways.