Life after a self-induced brain injury?

Forums: Brain Damage, Gunshot Wounds
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I'm writing astory about a man inhis mid-twenties who attempts suicide by shooting himself in the head, and survives.

What would his life be like after suffering the severe brain injury that is nearly certain to occur with a bullet in his brain? Would a normallife ever be possible again? Would memory loss occur? Would advanced brain function or even speech be possible?

Please, be as detailed with me as you can, including (if you can, of course) even the details such as gun positioning could impact him.(I'm sure hitting different parts of the brain could do different things...)

As you can tell, I am hardly knowledgable on the subject, but I am really eager to get this right.

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Type: Question • Score: 7 • Views: 2,227 • Replies: 12

@Bama,

Bama, I know a guy headshot hisself with a .22 and "missed"...

Too late tonite, but I will come back.

RH

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@Bama,

Why are you chosing to write about something about which you have absolutely no knowledge?

What appeals to you about this topic?

Truthfully, I think it's impossible to answer your questions. Too many variables are involved--including the fact that your character has serious psychological problems.

If you are really interested in the subject, perhaps you should visit a rehabilitation center and observe first-hand the effects of severe head injury and brain trauma. Beforehand, do a great deal of reading and familiarize yourself with basic neuroanatomy and neurophysiology so you can ask the staff reasonably intelligent questions, regarding brain functions, to get the answers you are seeking. Then you can decide whether you are up to tackling this topic.

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As firefly has already said, there are too many variables about his head injury that can have different consequences and possible rehab. You need to talk to his doctor or neurologist who knows his case. Otherwise, it's all pie in the sky.

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@Bama,

Quote:

What would his life be like after suffering the severe brain injury
that is nearly certain to occur with a bullet in his brain?

It depends on where the round hit
and whether it bounced around; .22s are much more likely to bounce around
inside the headbone than heavier rounds.

Quote:

Would a normal life ever be possible again?
Would memory loss occur?
Would advanced brain function or even speech be possible?

It depends on where the round hit and the size and configuration of the slug.

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@firefly,

Very true n well put, Firefly.

David

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@Bama,

How many times did he pull the trigger?

Once, I could understand how he might miss.

Three or four times, though, that's a stretch.

On a serious note, I knew of a fellow who put the barrel in his mouth and when he pulled the trigger, the bullet was deflected by his dentures. He lived with few ill effects.

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@Bama,

I think you could use the new A2K as a perfect real life example to draw from.

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@Rockhead,

Thank you,I'mlooking forward to reading what you have to say.

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@firefly,

The truth is that the attempted suicide is a side-story in the bigger scheme. I just want to get it as believable as is possible.

I have already been looking into different neurologists I could talk to and places I could visit, but I am afraid no one will take me seriously because I am only teenager.

Thank you for commenting.

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There is quite a bit of info on the web. Google "failed suicide brain injury".

Here's a link to get you started; go to page 26 for the case study section: http://www.traumaticbraininjury.net/When%20Suicide%20is%20the%20Cause%20of%20Brain%20Injury.pdf

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This isn't exactly what you're asking about because it isn't a result of a gun shot, but it is excellent in describing the effects of brain injury as it is occuring and recovering from it. She goes into amazing detail and even uses a real human brain specimen as a prop in her presentation.

http://www.ted.com/index.php/talks/jill_bolte_taylor_s_powerful_stroke_of_insight.html

Here's a description of it:

Quote:

Why you should listen to her:
One morning, a blood vessel in Jill Bolte Taylor's brain exploded. As a brain scientist, she realized she had a ringside seat to her own stroke. She watched as her brain functions shut down one by one: motion, speech, memory, self-awareness ...
Amazed to find herself alive, Taylor spent eight years recovering her ability to think, walk and talk. She has become a spokesperson for stroke recovery and for the possibility of coming back from brain injury stronger than before. In her case, although the stroke damaged the left side of her brain, her recovery unleashed a torrent of creative energy from her right. From her home base in Indiana, she now travels the country on behalf of the Harvard Brain Bank as the "Singin' Scientist."

1 Reply

@Butrflynet,

Butrflynet, a friend of mine who had a TBI 20 years ago sent me that link a while back. She says that this woman "gets it exactly right". Now when people ask her what it was like to recover from such a serious injury she just sends that link to them.

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Life after a self-induced brain injury?

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