"We need to talk about dad"

[SardineQueen]

I just saw a trailer for this on C4. Don't know if I will watch it but the topic is obviously going to be DV and I thought that some on here might be interested to see how it is all approached.

[grumplestilskin]

I assumed it was a transient personality changing brain injury (very common) or similar, rather than a straight forward DV issue?

[SardineQueen]

I have no idea grumple and the trailer didn't give much away!

What I took away from it was that he attacks her horribly and it's about the aftermath. I didn't get any vibes as to whether this attack was due to a brain injury or otherwise.

maybe I missed something?

[SardineQueen]

What causes a transient personality changing brain injury? What sort of injury? Never heard of it before!

[grumplestilskin]

it reminded me a lot of a documentary I saw a while ago about people who tried to continue marriages with people who'd had a certain type of brain injury, not sure exactly what reminded me of it because like you say it didn't say specifically, I think the way they're building it up there must be some sort of twist like that?

[grumplestilskin]

lots of things cause brain injuries

[SardineQueen]

No idea if there is a twist, or if their "prefect marriage" was a lie, or what really.

I thought that it might be of interest to the people who post on here anyway!

It can't be that common though - I don't know anyone who's had a personality change after bonking their head IYSWIM.

[madwomanintheattic]

it's really common.

dh got blown up and sustained head trauma and ended up having brain surgery. they gave him a 20% chance of surviving his injuries.

one of the things that the specialists were very insistent on in the rehab period was talking to me about personality differences/ changes in temperament etc.

coincidentally, dd2 suffered a brain injury at birth and has cp as a result, so we 'do' brains here. i volunteer with a charity that offers rehab and outdoor recreational opportunities for brain injury survivors. i guess if you don't know many brain injury survivors, then it seems far fetched.

not seen the film though, so can't comment on that!

[SardineQueen]

I don't think it sounds far fetched at all! Just not maybe what I would classify as "common" IYSWIM

The program certainly sounds like it might be interesting whatever the reasons for what happened.

I'm sorry you have had so much experience of brain injury within your family madwoman.

[ElderberrySyrup]

Surely it was a staple of the stories in Bunty-style girls' comics in the 70s. Only thing was, the old personality would always be restored by a second bang on the head and I'm not sure that's what happens in real life....

[SardineQueen]

Damn I knew I should have read more bunty.

Just17 didn't teach me anything useful ahem

[buzzswellington]

My stepdad had a personality change after being hit in the head by a roof tile, became morose and quite different really.

[SardineQueen]

I'm sorry to hear that buzz.

I guess we will find out whether the program is about that or not when it is aired!

[madwomanintheattic]

lol elderberry i will take the frying pan to dh forthwith. but i think you are right re the urban myth 'cure'...

it's interesting sq. i had no idea what was in store really, and if someone had said to me when i was, ooo, i dunno, just17 that a good ten years of my life would be dedicated to brain injury, i wouldn't have believed them. funny how life works out!

[SardineQueen]

I'll bet it's been a hard and interesting learning curve madwoman! We go in more for physical disabilities over here. I was in and out of hospital as a child and knew children with things like CP, spina bifida and various brain and physical problems - it was an interesting time and I often wonder what happened to the children I knew back then!

[SardineQueen]

It's great that you give your time in the way that you do

[madwomanintheattic]

it's amazing, actually - i'm always blown away by what people can achieve given the opportunity. very inspiring!

[SardineQueen]

I'll bet. And it's the volunteers like you who can make such a difference - knowing that the person assisting you is doing so voluntarily rather than because it's their job can be important somehow. Not that people who do it for a job don't do a good job - I hope YKWIM

[Bue]

There was an article about this film yesterday in the Guardian, including an interview with the older son. I don't think they actually know what happened to him to make him attack his wife - the wife thinks it was a random psychotic episode.

Ah, article here: www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/2011/nov/14/dad-attacked-mum-with-axe

[rollonchristmas]

I can believe she took him back, That think about rollinbg his eyes when mentioned would make me want to hit him, I wonder if he's ever truly apologised.

[SardineQueen]

Thanks for posting that article, bue.

[fewcloudy]

"I can believe she took him back, That think about rollinbg his eyes when mentioned would make me want to hit him, I wonder if he's ever truly apologised."

What a strange post. Yes of course he has

And presumably you meant "I can't" rather than "I can"?

[Hullygully]

my friend works as a case manager for people with acquired brain injury (car accidents etc). Personality change is the norm.

[SardineQueen]

How do you know what he has or hasn't said, fewcloudy?

In the article it says they have never really got to the bottom of what happened, why he did it.

What i find really strange is that the younger child was kept in the dark - making the older child who was 16 when it happened keep a secret like that from his sibling seems terribly wrong to me.

[SardineQueen]

In the article it says it wasn't a brain injury though.

[SardineQueen]

It's interesting that so many people are assuming it was a transient personality changing brain injury when in fact it wasn't, though.