Essay On Vegetative State

presence can be identified but it is much more difficult to prove its absence (Gosseries et al., 2011).

Causes

The vegetative state just like other disorders of consciousness can occur due to three main reasons; the first and most common cause is a traumatic brain injury. As a result of a severe head injury, for example an injury sustained during a car accident, a fall from a great height, or a violent assault, a person can enter into a state of vegetative consciousness. According to Gosseries et al. (2011), in most cases where the damage is severe, patients usually die within a few days. If they do survive however, from the moment the patients open their eyes, they move out of a coma and, if still unresponsive, evolve into a vegetative state. Typically, the vegetative patient gradually recovers awareness and enters a minimally conscious state. This is often followed by a period of transient

This is where the injury to the brain is caused by an alternative condition other than a traumatic injury to the brain itself. Examples of these conditions are in instances where the brain is deprived of oxygen in which cases brain tissue begins to die. It can also be a condition in which the brain tissue is directly attacked. Specific examples would include a stroke, heart attack, drug overdose or severe brain infections such as meningitis, just to mention a few. Finally, the vegetative state can be a as a result of progressive brain damage. This is a situation where the brain gets damaged gradually as a result of diseases such as Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s disease or a brain tumour and eventually leads to the individual going into a vegetative state (Gosseries et al, 2011).

Categories of the Vegetative stage

There are two categories of the vegetative state depending on the length that the patient has been in the state. The two categories are the following:

i. Continuing/ persistent vegetative