Stroke, psychiatric evaluation
It is paramount to have a psychiatric evaluation of all stroke patients to pick up depression. This depression is across sexes affecting males more than females. The good news is there are treatment protocols that have been used to help.
ASTROKE occurs when the blood supply to part of your brain is interrupted or reduced, depriving brain tissue of oxygen and nutrients. Within minutes, brain cells begin to die. A stroke is a medical emergency. Prompt treatment is crucial. Early action can minimise brain damage and potential complications.
Watch out for these signs and symptoms if you think you or someone else may be having a stroke.
Pay attention to when the signs and symptoms begin. The length of time they have been present can affect your treatment options: ◆ Trouble with speaking and understanding — You may experience confusion, you may slur your words or have difficulty understanding speech. ◆ Paralysis or numbness of the face, arm or leg — You may develop sudden numbness, weakness or paralysis in your face, arm or leg. This often happens just on one side of your body. Try to raise both your arms over your head at the same time. If one arm begins to fall, you may be having a stroke. Also, one side of your mouth may droop when you try to smile. ◆ Trouble with seeing in one or both eyes — You may suddenly have blurred or blackened vision in one or both eyes, and you may see double. ◆ Headache — A sudden, severe headache, which may be accompanied by vomiting, dizziness or altered consciousness, may indicate you are having a stroke. ◆ Trouble with walking — You may stumble or experience sudden dizziness, loss of balance or loss of coordination. More than a third of all stroke survivors are estimated to have some degree of depression at any time during follow-up and the repercussions of post-stroke depression can extend beyond just psychological well-being.
Depression after a stroke can adversely affect capacity to participate with rehabilitation, decrease medication compliance, increase risk of drug or alcohol use, and contribute to poststroke mortality, including suicide.
It is paramount to have a psychiatric evaluation of all stroke patients to pick up depression. This depression is across sexes affecting males more than females. The good news is there are treatment protocols that have been used to help.
This medication, if used early also has an added role of increasing the brain cell’s to regenerate and limit the effects of the stroke. These drugs are available in Zimbabwe. Fluexotine, Es-citalopram and problem-solving therapy can be used as prevention and treatment of post-stroke depression.
Let’s not just feel sorry for our relatives, let us improve their emotional life as they live with the post-stroke effects. ◆ Dr Sacrifice Chirisa is a passionate Consultant Psychiatrist at Harare Hospital Psychiatric Unit. He is also the National Secretary-General for the Zimbabwe Medical Association (ZiMA ) and a certified life and business coach.