How Can A Stroke Affect Mental Health?

by | Last updated on January 24, 2024

, , , ,

Stroke impacts the brain, and the brain controls our behavior and emotions. You or your loved one may experience feelings of irritability, forgetfulness, carelessness or confusion. Feelings of anger, anxiety or depression are also common .

Can a stroke alter your personality?

A stroke changes life for the survivor and everyone involved. Not only do survivors experience physical changes, but many experience personality changes ranging from apathy to neglect . Some survivors just don’t seem to care about anything.

Can a stroke make you talk crazy?

Some stroke survivors may have slurred or garbled speech as a result of muscle weakness or incoordination (called dysarthria) or motor programming of speech muscles (called apraxia) .

What is post-stroke psychosis?

Post-stroke psychosis is the presence of delusions and/or hallucinations that result from an infarct in the cerebrovascular network . Involvement of a predominantly right-sided cortical pathology has been described in triggering the psychosis.

Can a stroke cause aggressive Behaviour?

Stroke patients may show aggressive behaviors including hitting or hurting others, kicking, biting, grabbing, pushing, throwing objects, etc. Their verbal behavior also includes cursing, screaming, making noises, hostile muttering, etc. This overt aggression is observed usually during the acute stage in patients.

Can stroke cause mood swings?

After a stroke, patients can sustain a variety of serious secondary effects that may affect their independence or ability to participate in beloved hobbies. As a result, stroke survivors may struggle with mood swings , depression, anxiety, and even PTSD.

How do stroke victims deal with anger?

  1. Understand your behavior. Recognizing the situations that trigger your anger after a stroke may help you manage your mood. ...
  2. Take a Break. ...
  3. Talk to your doctor about medication. ...
  4. Empathy and self-care. ...
  5. Help fill in the gap. ...
  6. Validate feelings when appropriate.

Can a stroke cause psychotic behavior?

Post Stroke Psychosis

Psychosis is a rare complication post-stroke . Rabins et al screened all stroke individuals > 60 over a 9-year period (n=1191). Only 5 patients identified with psychosis. All had right frontoparietal lesions and subcortical atrophy compared to 5 matched controls.

Can a stroke cause psychosis?

A stroke can sometimes lead to hallucinations or delusions . Hallucinations and delusions are also known as ‘psychotic symptoms’. This can be due to mental health problems, but it can also be caused by a stroke. It may happen in up to one in 20 people after a stroke.

How long does aphasia last after a stroke?

Some patients may recover from aphasia after stroke within a matter of hours or days following onset. Researchers believe the duration of spontaneous recovery can be extended up to six months after the onset of symptoms and various forms of speech and language therapies.

Can a stroke make you bipolar?

Abstract. The onset of bipolar disorder (BD) secondary to a stroke event is a rare clinical entity . Although it may be related to specific regions of the brain, several other factors have been linked to its expression such as subcortical atrophy or chronic vascular burden.

Can a stroke cause delusions?

A stroke can sometimes lead to hallucinations or delusions , and may happen in up to one in 20 people. Some symptoms can start soon after a stroke, but they can also start weeks or months later.

Can a stroke trigger dementia?

People who have had a stroke have a far greater risk of developing dementia than people who have not had a stroke . About 1 in 4 people who have had a stroke will go on to develop signs of dementia. Vascular dementia is most common in older people, who are more likely than younger people to have vascular diseases.

How long does anger last after stroke?

Of the 145 stroke patients studied, 32% described an inability to control anger or aggression up to a year after their stroke. Sometimes the emotional eruptions occurred spontaneously and without provocation, and in other cases a family member may have prompted the unusual response.

How does stroke affect cognition?

In the case of a stroke, one or more cognitive domains may be affected, including attention, memory, language, and orientation . The highest impact of stroke at the time of diagnosis is on the attention and executive functions rather than on memory, which may be impaired at various post-stroke intervals.

What is the acute stage of a stroke?

The clinical staging of stroke (Cramer, 2008; Rehme et al., 2012; Zhao et al., 2014) is generally accepted as follows: the first 2 weeks are defined as the acute stage; 3–11 weeks post-stroke is termed the subacute stage in which most changes occur; 12–24 weeks post-stroke is the early chronic stage; and more than 24 ...

How long does it take to mentally recover from a stroke?

After six months , improvements are possible but will be much slower. Most stroke patients reach a relatively steady state at this point. For some, this means a full recovery. Others will have ongoing impairments, also called chronic stroke disease.

Do stroke victims get depressed?

Depression is a common experience for stroke survivors . It’s often caused by biochemical changes in the brain. When the brain is injured, the survivor may not be able to feel positive emotions. Depression can also be a normal psychological reaction to the losses from stroke.

What are the signs of death after a stroke?

In the final days and hours, they may become drowsier, or stop eating and drinking. They can appear confused or restless. Their breathing can change, and become less regular. It may be noisy, due to fluids building up in the airways.

What damage can a stroke cause?

A stroke, sometimes called a brain attack, occurs when something blocks blood supply to part of the brain or when a blood vessel in the brain bursts. In either case, parts of the brain become damaged or die. A stroke can cause lasting brain damage, long-term disability, or even death .

Why do stroke patients scream?

Why does PBA cause uncontrollable emotional outbursts? PBA happens when stroke damages areas in the brain that control how emotion is expressed . The damage causes short circuits in brain signals, which trigger these involuntary episodes of laughing or crying.

How long does confusion last after stroke?

Cognitive problems are usually worst during the first few months after a stroke, but they can and do get better. They’re likely to improve most quickly over the first three months , as this is when your brain is at its most active, trying to repair itself.

Is stroke a mental illness?

Stroke is one of the leading causes of death in the United States. It is also associated with severe mental illnesses, such as depression and anxiety , that hinder the rehabilitation of surviving patients.

How is post stroke psychosis treated?

Treatment and outcome

No studies formally evaluated treatments for poststroke psychosis, but the available evidence suggests that antipsychotic medication is the most common form of treatment. Haloperidol and risperidone are reported as the most frequently prescribed, followed by quetiapine and olanzapine.

Carlos Perez
Author
Carlos Perez
Carlos Perez is an education expert and teacher with over 20 years of experience working with youth. He holds a degree in education and has taught in both public and private schools, as well as in community-based organizations. Carlos is passionate about empowering young people and helping them reach their full potential through education and mentorship.