Minimally conscious stateĪ person who shows clear but minimal or inconsistent awareness is classified as being in a minimally conscious state. If a person is diagnosed as being in a permanent vegetative state, recovery is extremely unlikely but not impossible. a permanent vegetative state when it's been more than 6 months if caused by a non-traumatic brain injury, or more than 12 months if caused by a traumatic brain injury.a continuing vegetative state when it's been longer than 4 weeks.If a person is in a vegetative state for a long time, it may be considered to be: They also show no signs of experiencing emotions. They're also able to regulate their heartbeat and breathing without assistance.īut a person in a vegetative state doesn't show any meaningful responses, such as following an object with their eyes or responding to voices. have basic reflexes (such as blinking when they're startled by a loud noise or withdrawing their hand when it's squeezed hard).wake up and fall asleep at regular intervals.Wakefulness is the ability to open your eyes and have basic reflexes such as coughing, swallowing and sucking.Īwareness is associated with more complex thought processes and is more difficult to assess.Ĭurrently, the assessment of awareness relies on physical responses being detected during an examination.Ī coma is when a person shows no signs of being awake and no signs of being aware.Ī person in a coma lies with their eyes closed and doesn't respond to their environment, voices or pain.Ī coma usually lasts for less than 2 to 4 weeks, during which time a person may wake up or progress into a vegetative state or minimally conscious state.Ī vegetative state is when a person is awake but is showing no signs of awareness. A disorder of consciousness, or impaired consciousness, is a state where consciousness has been affected by damage to the brain.Ĭonsciousness requires both wakefulness and awareness.

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