A man who has severe anger issues that he takes out on his family had an emotional reaction after a radiologist gave him the cause of his outbursts.
Brenden and his wife Natasha appeared on Dr Phil after she reached a breaking point in their eight-year marriage. Brenden admitted to screaming at her, pushing her in the face, and losing control in explosive fits of anger.
Desperate for answers and hope, Natasha turned to the show to understand what was going on — and to see if something deeper could explain Brenden’s outbursts.
"I'm hoping for some type of outcome for me and my family," Brenden said during the episode.
Enter Dr. Bradley Jabour, one of the world’s leading neuroradiologists, who ran a series of scans on Brenden’s brain to determine if there were any abnormalities. What he found left even him stunned.
"I was surprised, you know, in talking to Brenden initially, and he mentioned that he had never had any experience of an impactful head trauma," Jabour told Dr Phil.
"And we see evidence that looks like at some point somewhere, somebody should sit with Brenden and try and find out, when did he get a hit on the head or knocked unconscious, possibly something that maybe he doesn't remember, but it probably did happen, because there's several of these areas of gliosis were scar tissue."
Dr. Jabour discovered seven distinct areas of scarring on Brenden’s brain — most notably in the frontal lobes, which are critical in regulating emotions and behavior.
The findings suggest that Brenden may have suffered undetected head trauma earlier in life, even if he has no memory of it.
"The question for me today is, really, is your brain structurally normal?" Jabour said. "So we have these powerful techniques which can look at the architecture of your brain, but also get an idea of the functioning of your brain."
Brenden’s emotions overflowed as the results were revealed. Reduced to tears, he listened as the doctor explained how the scarring could be triggering irrational fear and anxiety — which in turn might be fueling his violent temper.
"For some reason, this anxiety and fear that just torments you, triggers an anger where you will act out and maybe even hurt other people you love around you," Dr. Jabour told him.
While the revelation didn’t excuse his past behavior, it provided a long-awaited explanation — and a chance at healing.
"I'm not sure if you can tie in the anger issues with a particular moment in his life, or has he always been angry, even as a 12, 13, 15-year-old?" Jabour added.
Dr. Phil asked the pressing question many viewers were wondering: was Brenden’s brain scan abnormal?
Jabour didn’t hesitate. "Abnormal? Yes."
While Brenden’s journey is far from over, the breakthrough offered a potential turning point.
With counseling and further neurological evaluation, Dr. Jabour believes Brenden could begin to manage his condition and rebuild the relationships damaged by years of unexplained rage.