Updated
Original VAYEMA symptom and impact self-check – not a validated scale
Wellbeing after brain injury
Answer the symptom statements below to see which experiences and areas of daily life you report as most affected. These are original VAYEMA questions, not a validated diagnostic scale. No clinical severity or probability score is calculated.
Answers are processed only in this page by this assessment. They are not submitted, monitored or automatically saved. No name, email or account is required. Use a private device and clear your answers when finished.
For adults aged 18 and over. This self-check cannot diagnose or rule out a condition. Concerns about a child require an age-appropriate professional assessment.
Thinking about the past four weeks, how well does each statement describe your experience?
Additional context – not included in any questionnaire score
These are original VAYEMA questions, not a diagnostic instrument or a validated severity scale. They summarise the experiences you select and do not predict a diagnosis or future harm. Background condition information; this source does not endorse this self-check.
Clarify what kind of assessment you are arranging
The word assessment can refer to several different tasks after brain injury. A medical review may examine the injury and neurological symptoms. A neuropsychological assessment may explore particular cognitive functions using standardised methods. A psychological or psychiatric consultation may focus on mood, anxiety, behaviour and treatment. These tasks can complement one another, but they are not interchangeable simply because each involves questions. [1]
Before booking, explain the question you need answered. You might want help with persistent low mood, advice about emotional changes or clarification of whether further cognitive assessment is needed. Ask about the professional’s training and the scope of the appointment. A routine consultation should not be advertised as a complete neurological or occupational assessment when it does not provide that service.
Bring the injury history that is already available
Useful background may include when the injury happened, the diagnosis you were given, hospital treatment and the rehabilitation professionals currently involved. Discharge summaries or earlier reports can reduce repetition, but you do not need to reconstruct every medical detail yourself. Explain what is known and what remains unclear. NINDS describes the range of information and rehabilitation needs that can follow traumatic brain injury. [1]
Keep uncertain details marked as uncertain. A relative may help identify existing records with your agreement, but their account should remain distinguishable from your own recollection. The appointment should not become an exercise in producing a perfect history. If a symptom has changed recently, mention it directly rather than assume an old report adequately describes your current condition.
Describe emotional changes in concrete terms
Instead of trying to decide whether you have depression, anxiety or an adjustment problem, describe what you notice. Examples might include feeling persistently low, withdrawing from people, becoming overwhelmed in busy places or reacting more quickly in conversations. The clinician can explore their meaning, timing and effect. Emotional symptoms may interact with cognitive and physical changes after injury. [2]
Explain both the experience and what it interrupts. Saying that a family meal becomes exhausting after several conversations gives more context than simply writing irritable. Include what still works and what support helps. Our understanding guide explains common questions without expecting your experience to match every example or follow one standard recovery pattern.
Separate fatigue, sleep and mood without forcing a conclusion
Fatigue, concentration changes and disrupted sleep can appear in depression, but they can also be associated with the injury, pain, medication or another condition. The clinician needs to consider the combination rather than count overlapping symptoms as proof of one diagnosis. The MSKTC depression resource explains why a fuller assessment matters when depressive and injury-related difficulties resemble each other. [3]
You might note whether low interest continues when you have more energy, whether particular tasks worsen exhaustion or whether sleep changed after a prescription adjustment. These are observations to discuss, not tests to perform on yourself. Avoid deliberately changing medication, sleep or activity to see which explanation wins. Your clinician can decide what information or medical review is appropriate.
Include ordinary tasks and the effort they require
Assessment should consider work, relationships, self-care, communication and participation in valued activities. A person can manage an appointment while needing considerable recovery afterwards. Likewise, an activity completed with support is not necessarily easy or independently manageable. Describe the conditions that make a task possible, such as quiet surroundings, reminders, breaks or help with transport. These details make recommendations more useful.
A short representative example is usually enough. You do not need to monitor every mistake or keep a constant record of symptoms. For concerns about thinking or memory, the memory assessment guide explains a related pathway. The worksheet here does not measure cognition or provide evidence for employment, driving or legal decisions.
Make communication needs part of the appointment plan
Tell the service about fatigue, hearing, vision, language or communication needs before the appointment where possible. Ask whether written information, slower pacing, shorter sessions or breaks can be arranged. A person may need extra time to process a question without needing somebody else to answer it for them. Accessibility is part of meaningful assessment, not an optional reward for completing a standard form quickly.
You may wish to bring a trusted person or communication aid. Clarify their role and whether you want some private time with the clinician. At the end, ask for the main conclusions and next actions in a format you can use. The MSKTC emotional-changes resource encourages repetition and written reminders when these support understanding. [2]
Review medication and existing professional involvement
Bring a current medication list and explain recent changes, including non-prescribed products and alcohol or other substances where relevant. Tell the clinician about pain, sleep problems, seizures or other medical conditions already being managed. The purpose is to identify relevant influences and keep recommendations coordinated, not to assume that medication or one psychological factor explains everything. [1,3]
Ask who will contact the existing team and what information requires your permission. A new therapist should not casually replace neurological advice, and a psychiatrist should know about other prescriptions before recommending changes. Care coordination can help with agreed communication and appointments while leaving medical decisions with the appropriately qualified professionals.
Understand what questionnaires and test results cannot decide
A mood questionnaire can contribute information about selected experiences, but it cannot determine injury severity or independently distinguish every neurological and psychological explanation. A formal cognitive test also requires appropriate administration and interpretation. Language, sensory needs, fatigue and the question being investigated matter. A number without that context should not be used to define your abilities or choose a treatment setting. [1,3]
This page’s prompts are original preparation questions, not a validated scale. They produce no risk category or diagnostic result. The PHQ-9 page describes a separate depression screener and its limits. You do not need to complete it as well, and no online score replaces discussion of an important change in your health or functioning.
Ask for a clear recommendation and follow-up
A useful conclusion explains the current understanding, remaining uncertainty and the next step. Ask whether the main recommendation is psychological therapy, psychiatric review, specialist rehabilitation or another assessment. The plan should identify who provides each part, how appointments are adapted and when progress is reviewed. A list of possible services without priorities can leave the person with more decisions rather than greater clarity.
The treatment guide explains how mental-health care can work alongside rehabilitation. Discuss costs, practical arrangements and information sharing before agreeing to care. Family support may be appropriate for relatives’ own needs, but does not automatically give them access to your assessment or replace your participation in decisions.
Use preparation only when it helps, never to delay urgent care
After a head injury, a worsening headache, repeated vomiting, seizures, new weakness, unusual confusion or difficulty waking needs emergency medical assessment. The CDC identifies these as danger signs. [4] Immediate risk of self-harm also requires urgent local help. Do not continue an online worksheet to decide whether these concerns are serious enough, and do not wait for a routine inquiry response.
For planned care, VAYEMA’s private assessment pathway can discuss suitable professionals and access needs. The notes do not send an alert, book an appointment or enter a clinical record. Review or download them only when useful, keep any downloaded file private, and clear the page when finished. You can seek care with a spoken explanation and your questions instead of completing a form.
Frequently asked questions about assessment after brain injury
Is this a neuropsychological test?
No. It is an original unscored preparation worksheet. Neuropsychological testing involves selected methods, suitable administration and professional interpretation. These prompts cannot measure cognitive ability, diagnose an injury or provide occupational or legal clearance. Ask the receiving clinician which assessment is appropriate for the question you need answered.
Do I need all my hospital records before booking?
Relevant records are useful when available, but a complete file should not be a barrier to asking for help. Explain what information exists and what is missing. Urgent changes need direct medical attention rather than a delay while records are collected or a detailed history is reconstructed.
Can someone help me write the notes?
Yes, with your agreement. Make clear which observations are yours and which come from another person. Assistance should support your voice, not replace it. You can also ask for private time during the clinical appointment and discuss what information may be shared afterwards.
What if answering questions makes me tired?
Stop and take a break. Every prompt is optional, and the worksheet is not an entry requirement. Tell the service about fatigue or communication needs when arranging an appointment so the format can be adapted. A short account of your main concerns is enough to begin a conversation.
Can a normal scan mean my emotional difficulties are not real?
No. A scan answers particular medical questions and does not replace assessment of emotional symptoms or daily functioning. Discuss the findings and their limits with the medical team. Psychological care can acknowledge real injury-related needs without claiming that every difficulty must be visible on imaging.
Will writing about an urgent concern notify VAYEMA?
No. These notes are not transmitted or monitored and do not generate an alert. Contact the appropriate clinician or emergency service directly when help is urgent. A downloaded summary is only a file you choose to keep and share through an agreed clinical channel.
Resources and references
[1] NINDS: Traumatic brain injury and rehabilitation
[2] MSKTC: Changes in emotion after traumatic brain injury
[3] MSKTC: Depression after traumatic brain injury
[4] CDC: Symptoms and danger signs of mild TBI and concussion