Background: Post-traumatic agitation is a common and problematic complication after traumatic brain injury. It may present with features consistent with psychiatric disorders, which may provide clues as to management.
Objective: This is a narrative review of pertinent literature and a description of a collaborative clinical approach utilizing psychiatric and brain injury rehabilitation strategies to optimize outcomes in the management of post-traumatic agitation.
Methods: Describe and provide evidence for a transdisciplinary clinical approach supported by existing literature and clinical experience.
Results: Given the heterogeneity of the problem and limitations in the current literature there is no standardized approach to manage post-traumatic agitation; nevertheless, a strategy is proposed that clinicians may utilize to guide treatment and assess efficacy of the chosen intervention(s).
Conclusion: A clinical approach that uses quantitative assessment of targeted behavior to objectively evaluate pharmacological interventions that are generated by a collaborative approach may yield improved outcomes for managing post-traumatic agitation.
Keywords: Traumatic brain injury; aggression; agitation; neurobehavioral disability; pharmacological intervention; post-traumatic agitation.