Brain Aneurysms & Loss of Social Skills

Aneurysms occur when a weak spot develops in a blood vessel, which can then inflate like a water balloon and eventually burst, resulting in a hemorrhage. When aneurysms occur in the veins or arteries supplying blood to the brain, they are called cerebral or intracranial aneurysms, one type of acquired brain injury, or ABI. Stroke and brain infection are also ABIs, which are distinct from traumatic injuries caused by outside events.

Impacts of Injuries

• The effects of a brain aneurysm depend on the amount of damage to the brain tissue and what part of the brain is involved. Ballooning blood vessels can put pressure on nearby nerve pathways, and hemorrhages can deprive parts of the brain of oxygen. Depending on just where and how extensive the damage to their brains is, people may experience problems with motor skills or balance, making it hard for them to walk or perform normal activities, like writing or catching a ball.

  People who have had a brain aneurysm might suffer memory loss, have difficulty speaking or understanding language, and experience problems reasoning. They may also face social and behavior problems: They can become irritable or show a lack of impulse control, or behave in other socially inappropriate ways.

Impaired Social Skills

• Some of the most disturbing effects of a brain aneurysm for both the patient and friends and family are in the realm of social and interpersonal behavior, according to BrainInjury.org of Australia. Social skills are highly complex and central to how we relate to one another. Some of these skills, like the ones involved in reading another person's expressions, are universal, while others, like hand gestures, vary from culture to culture.

  The sheer number of verbal and nonverbal skills a person needs to relearn in order to function more or less normally after ABI can be overwhelming. Yet, unless he can regain the skills involved in maneuvering through daily life, he can become increasingly isolated and lonely.

  The frontal lobes and prefrontal cortex are where the so-called executive functions are controlled in the brain. Self-awareness and insight into the thoughts and feelings of those around you as well as impulse control--such as not blurting out inappropriate remarks and controlling your temper--can be impaired by damage to these regions.

  Social skills are for the most part learned, not instinctive. Relearning them demands feedback from others. Until that happens, the patient may experience great difficulty in social interactions.

Social Skills Training

• Social skills training, as laid out by BrainInjury.org, is a four-step approach used by teachers and therapists to help people who have problems relating to others. It's important to first identify the social skills deficit. A strategy is targeted and applied to deal with the problem. Success is assessed and necessary adjustments made. A thorough evaluation of the person's strengths and weaknesses is the starting point. The strategies for dealing with them include accommodation--modifying the physical and social environments.

  Strategies for training social skills include role playing and rehearsing social interactions, which includes acting out various situations the affected person might come across to help build basic interaction skills. Another common strategy is videotaped self-modeling (VSM) so that the person can learn skills by watching herself perform them. Learning social skills involves observation, modeling, coaching and feedback. VSM gives the person an opportunity to learn both from direct personal experience and through observation.