Psychological and psychiatric difficulties are common after brain injury. These may affect the person’s motivation and willingness to eat/drink and their appetite:
• Depression may cause reduced motivation and significant loss of appetite.
• Anxiety and/or agitation may adversely affect appetite, may cause difficulties sitting and finishing a meal or drink and may cause attentional difficulties affecting the process of eating/drinking.
• Psychotic symptoms (e.g. paranoid ideas regarding food being poisoned) may cause the person to refuse food/drink or eat/drink in sufficient quantities. Please note it is important try to identify if the ‘psychotic’ symptoms are due to a confusional state (e.g. as in post traumatic amnesia) or a true psychotic disorder.
