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I began my journey into
the realm of mood swings and attitude. Many readers indicated that these were
arenas where they would like more input. I have amassed a great deal of
reference sections and general ideas from many sources of study.
When I began searching, I
surprised by the amount of material that appeared with “attitude” was sourced
from Stroke Network web pages. I was fascinated when I started reading the
material and posts together with the reference sites.
Facts
These facts all according
to HealthyPlace.com:
http://www.healthyplace.com/Communities/Depression/nimh/
co_occurence_depression_stroke.asp
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Of particular
significance, depression often co-occurs with stroke. When this happens, the
presence of the additional illness, depression, is frequently unrecognized,
leading to serious and unnecessary consequences for patients and families.
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Though depressed
feelings can be a common reaction to a stroke, clinical depression is not
the expected reaction. For this reason, when present, specific treatment
should be considered for clinical depression even in the presence of a
stroke.
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Appropriate diagnosis
and treatment of depression may bring substantial benefits to the patient
through improved medical status, enhanced quality of life, a reduction in
the degree of pain and disability, and improved treatment compliance. The
association between depression and stroke has long been recognized for its
negative impact on an individual's rehabilitation, family relationships, and
quality of life. Appropriate diagnosis and treatment of depression can
shorten the rehabilitation process and lead to more rapid recovery and
resumption of routine. It can also save health care costs (e.g., eliminate
nursing home expenses).
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Of the 600,000
Americans who experience a first or recurrent stroke each year, an estimated
10-27 percent experience major depression. An additional 15-40 percent
experience depressive symptomatology (not major depression) within two
months following the stroke.
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Among the factors that
effect the likelihood and severity of depression following a stroke are the
location of the brain lesion, previous or family history of depression, and
pre-stroke social functioning.
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Post-stroke
patients who are also depressed, particularly those with major depressive
disorder, are less compliant with rehabilitation, more irritable and
demanding, and may experience personality change.
Websites
Some say anti-depressants should begin immediately after a stroke. Speaking for
myself, I was prescribed the antidepressant Lexapro immediately even though I
did not feel a need. This site explains the positive side of using
antidepressants.
http://www.cnn.com/2008/HEALTH/conditions/05/27/
stroke.depression/index.html
This site explains differences in left and right brain strokes. Be sure to check
out the Table of Contents box at the top.
To read what some Stroke Network members have to say go to
http://www.strokenet.info . Go the left side of our homefront and look for
search. Enter mood swings. Search on the message board at
http://www.strokeboard.net for other member comments. Click Community Links,
Search.
To read info from Stroke Network partner, Healthology click:
Videos
In closing I offer two videos about “Attitude.”. Don’t give in. Mood swings
affect our caregivers and families.
The first video is me talking about attitude.
This site is especially for music and horse lovers. The song sounds like
survivors with attitude.
Editor’s Note:
Antidepressants are a common approach to reducing depression, but it not the
only method. If you do choose the drug method it may take some time working with
your doctor to discover the correct drug and dosage for your situation.
Click
http://www.webmd.com/video/nemeroff-understanding-antidepressants to hear a
doctor on WebMD discuss pharmaceuticals available and side effects. To the right
of the video, is an options list. These include more data on specific drugs and
discuss of other options. You must have popups enabled to see this data.
Antidepressants cannot be quit cold turkey. If you plan to discontinue use,
please check with your doctor who can advise you about the specific drug you are
taking.
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