Deans' stroke musings: Why Depression After Stroke Too Often Goes Untreated.

Changing stroke rehab and research worldwide now.Time is Brain! trillions and trillions of neurons that DIE each day because there are NO effective hyperacute therapies besides tPA(only 12% effective). I have 523 posts on hyperacute therapy, enough for researchers to spend decades proving them out. These are my personal ideas and blog on stroke rehabilitation and stroke research. Do not attempt any of these without checking with your medical provider. Unless you join me in agitating, when you need these therapies they won't be there.

What this blog is for:

My blog is not to help survivors recover, it is to have the 10 million yearly stroke survivors light fires underneath their doctors, stroke hospitals and stroke researchers to get stroke solved. 100% recovery. The stroke medical world is completely failing at that goal, they don't even have it as a goal. Shortly after getting out of the hospital and getting NO information on the process or protocols of stroke rehabilitation and recovery I started searching on the internet and found that no other survivor received useful information. This is an attempt to cover all stroke rehabilitation information that should be readily available to survivors so they can talk with informed knowledge to their medical staff. It lays out what needs to be done to get stroke survivors closer to 100% recovery. It's quite disgusting that this information is not available from every stroke association and doctors group.

Saturday, September 3, 2016

Why Depression After Stroke Too Often Goes Untreated.

It shouldn't because survivors treated with antidepressants recover better even if they aren't depressed. If your doctor doesn't do that s/he has not been keeping up with research and needs to be fired. I suppose you could train your doctor so future survivors are treated better.

Common antidepressant can help stroke patients improve movement and coordination Sept. 2015

Antidepressants may help people recover from stroke even if they are not depressed Jan. 2013

Why Depression After Stroke Too Often Goes Untreated.

As Many as 70% of People Who Are Depressed After Stroke Don’t Get Adequate Treatment

“A lot of people are not aware of this risk,” Duke University stroke researcher Nada El Husseini, MD, tells WebMD. “Even if they are feeling depressed, they don’t think it’s relevant.”

But it is. Depression can affect recovery and rehabilitation after a stroke.

TIA, Stroke, and Depression

A stroke happens when blood flow to the brain is interrupted by ablood clot or bleeding. Stroke is a leading cause of death and disability.

Transient ischemic attacks (TIAs), often called “mini-strokes,” involve stroke-like symptoms that don’t last long and don’t leave lasting damage. But having a TIA does mean a stroke is more likely.

Symptoms of stroke and TIA include:

Numbness or weakness in the face, arm, or leg
Confusion
Double vision or loss of vision
Dizziness
Trouble walking or talking

Call for emergency medical care if those symptoms occur. Time is crucial for stroke treatment.

Depression Follows Stroke, TIA, but Treatment Lags

The new study included 1,450 U.S. adults who’d had a stroke and nearly 400 who’d had a TIA.

About 18% of the stroke survivors and about 14% of those who’d had a TIA were depressed three months after hospitalization. Their depression stayed with them — a year after stroke, about 16% were depressed and so were nearly 13% of those who’d had a TIA.

Depression was more likely to last in people who were younger, were more disabled by their stroke, and who were unable to return to work three months after their stroke.

Nearly 70% of people with persistent depression weren’t being treated with antidepressants at either the three- or 12-month mark, the study shows.

“There is a stunning rate of undiagnosed depression in this group,” Miller says.

Symptoms of depression may include loss of interest in activities that were once pleasurable, feelings of sadness, helplessness, hopelessness,sleep problems, and suicidal thoughts or actions.

“Each stroke doctor is somewhat aware of this [risk], but it may not be one of the priorities,” Miller says. Many stroke specialists focus on addressing risk factors to prevent another stroke from occurring and rehabilitation issues.