Life and Suicide Following Brain Injury

Book excerpt: Life and Suicide Following Brain Injury tells the story of Tom, a 43 year-old man who acquired a brain injury from a road traffic accident at the age of 22. Tom survived but went on to take his own life 20 years later. As a vulnerable adult with mental health issues and long-term difficulties with substance misuse, this book tells Tom's story from his early childhood through to his death. In telling Tom's story, the author- a researcher in the brain injury field and Tom's sister- identifies the multiple suicide risk factors as well as the lack of understanding and inadequate service provision for people with complex needs following TBI. His story serves as a harrowing example of what can go wrong when timely intervention and support is not forthcoming, identifying a multitude of risk factors and possible points of intervention to improve care in the future. This book provides insight to professionals and academics across health and social care in the risks of suicide associated with TBI. It also provides support for those who have experienced the grief of losing a survivor to suicide, or those struggling to support a survivor who is suicidal.