It truly is estimated that greater than one million adults within the UK are at present living with the long-term consequences of brain injuries (Headway, 2014b). Rates of ABI have elevated considerably in current years, with estimated increases more than ten years ranging from 33 per cent (Headway, 2014b) to 95 per cent (HSCIC, 2012). This raise is as a consequence of a variety of components which includes enhanced emergency response following injury (Powell, 2004); much more cyclists interacting with heavier site visitors flow; improved participation in risky sports; and bigger numbers of very old people today in the population. In line with Nice (2014), the most prevalent causes of ABI inside the UK are falls (22 ?43 per cent), assaults (30 ?50 per cent) and road visitors accidents (circa 25 per cent), even though the latter category accounts for any disproportionate number of a lot more extreme brain injuries; other causes of ABI include sports injuries and domestic violence. Brain injury is additional widespread amongst men than ladies and shows peaks at ages fifteen to thirty and over eighty (Good, 2014). International information show related patterns. By way of example, inside the USA, the Centre for Disease Handle estimates that 
ABI impacts 1.7 million Americans every single year; children aged from birth to four, older teenagers and adults aged more than sixty-five have the highest rates of ABI, with males much more susceptible than ladies across all age ranges (CDC, undated, Traumatic Brain Injury inside the United states: Reality Sheet, accessible on the internet at www.cdc.gov/ traumaticbraininjury/get_the_facts.html, accessed December 2014). There is certainly also rising awareness and concern within the USA about ABI amongst military personnel (see, e.g. Okie, 2005), with ABI rates reported to exceed onefifth of combatants (Okie, 2005; Terrio et al., 2009). Whilst this article will concentrate on existing UK policy and practice, the concerns which it highlights are relevant to many national contexts.Acquired Brain Injury, Social Function and PersonalisationIf the causes of ABI are wide-ranging and unevenly distributed across age and gender, the impacts of ABI are similarly diverse. Some individuals make a great recovery from their brain injury, whilst other folks are left with important ongoing difficulties. In addition, as Headway (2014b) cautions, the `initial diagnosis of severity of injury will not be a trusted indicator of long-term problems’. The potential impacts of ABI are nicely described both in (non-social work) academic literature (e.g. Fleminger and Ponsford, 2005) and in individual accounts (e.g. Crimmins, 2001; Perry, 1986). Having said that, provided the limited attention to ABI in social work literature, it truly is worth 10508619.2011.638589 listing some of the typical after-effects: physical issues, cognitive issues, impairment of executive functioning, changes to a person’s behaviour and modifications to emotional regulation and `personality’. For a lot of persons with ABI, there will likely be no physical indicators of impairment, but some may possibly knowledge a range of physical troubles such as `loss of co-ordination, trans-4-Hydroxytamoxifen web muscle rigidity, paralysis, epilepsy, difficulty in speaking, loss of sight, smell or taste, fatigue, and sexual problems’ (Headway, 2014b), with fatigue and headaches getting particularly widespread after cognitive activity. ABI might also cause cognitive issues like troubles with journal.pone.0169185 memory and decreased speed of data processing by the brain. These physical and cognitive elements of ABI, while difficult for the individual concerned, are comparatively effortless for social workers and other individuals to conceptuali.
