Understanding and Living Well With Post-Concussion Syndrome

Concussion, even in its mildest form, can have lasting effects on the individual in a way we're only just beginning to understand. Mild Traumatic Brain Injuries (mTBI), concussion and post-concussion syndrome have previously been conservatively managed with recommendations for 'rest'. But even mild brain injuries and post-concussion syndrome can have an enormous impact on life, long after the 3 months during which they are expected to resolve. There are also significant differences between the way in which concussion affects men and women respectively, as this new research shows.

If concussion or an mTBI are affecting you, there is much in this book to help and support your symptoms. Neuropsychologist Dr Priyanka Pradhan has pulled together the latest research to provide a complete manual for overcoming the impact of any mild brain injury, while writer and coach Anna Leggett gives deep insight from her own experiences with post-concussion syndrome. Their book not only explains what a concussion is and how it may present, but also gives comprehensive practical strategies for managing persistent symptoms. Such strategies include how to ask for professional and specialist medical help (and where to get it from), and also some simple self-management techniques. Understanding and Living Well with Post-Concussion Syndrome also explains the importance of sleep and diet, and includes significant psychological and emotional support for mental wellbeing and recovery, a support that is often missing from the clinical pathway for post-concussion syndrome.

This book is an essential resource for anyone who feels that they need insight, practical help and emotional support into what is often perceived as an almost-invisible illness, but one which is very real for you or your loved one.

Dr Priyanka Pradhan is a chartered clinical psychologist and registered clinical neuropsychologist at St George's Hospital in London. She specialises in behavioural activation, cognitive behavioural therapy, mindfulness based cognitive behavioural therapy and traumatic brain injury. Dr Pradhan has worked as a consultant clinical neuropsychologist in independent practice for over seven years. During her treatments, her aim is to draw upon all aspects of the patient including physical, emotional, cognitive, social and cultural status providing neuropsychology services to clients and families that present with a wide range of psychological and clinical problems.

Anna Leggett is a writer and coach. She has a particular interest in mindfulness, meditation, neuroplasticity and nutrition and the power of the human mind and spirit to overcome challenges. In 2016, she sustained a concussion and soft-tissue injuries in a car accident. She went on a long recovery journey in which she learnt a phenomenal amount about the brain, body and healing. She has applied what she learnt to the whole of her life and now wants to share those valuable insights and lessons with others.