Caradoc-Davies, T.H. (1996). Traumatic mutism in severe
head injury relieved by oral diazepam. Disability and Rehabilitation,
18, 482-484.
Type
of
Study |
Case
Study |
| Subjects |
34
year old female |
| Diagnoses |
Severe
TBI |
Speech
Condition |
Traumatic
mutism |
| Purpose |
To
discuss the usefulness of oral diazepam in assessing speech
in people with severe TBI. |
| Methods |
The
patient's speech was assessed before and after a 20 mg
dose of oral diazepam. Following the assessment,
the patient was bombarded by an unintentional intense
emotional stimulus and the amount of speech generated
during this period was also observed. The emotional
stimulus was a family discussion about guardianship. |
| Results |
No
speech occurred during either the pre- or post-medication
assesments. However, following the intense emotional
stimulus, the client replied to a question and conversed
in a "stilted but coherent way" for twenty minutes. |
Treatment
Implications |
This
patient's speech may have resulted from the oral diazepam,
the emotional stimulus, or a combination of the two.
The use of oral diazepam may be useful in the assessment
of selected survivors of severe TBI. |
| |
|
To
return to the Abstract References, click on Assessment
, Treatment
, or Speech Characteristics
or use your browser to go Back.
|