Key Points
About 1 in 3 stroke survivors experience post-stroke depression in the year after their stroke...
Bruce Ovbiagele, editor-in-chief of the Journal of the American Heart Association, told Insider that it's "highly likely" Fetterman's depression diagnosis is "related to the stroke."..
Others may experience depression as a reaction to the "devastating effects of the stroke" on their ability to live life as they once did, Ovbiagele said.. "Some providers actually have depression screening instruments in their office after a stroke," Ovbiagele said, "in case there is evidence of depression."..
Post-stroke depression is dangerous, too: it's tied to more deaths in stroke victims, and that's largely because "people who are depressed oftentimes don't adhere to the medical regimen that they're prescribed," Ovbiagele said.. They may be less likely to take medicine that could prevent another stroke from occurring, or less likely to adopt key lifestyle changes to decrease their risk of having another stroke..
Patients with post-stroke depression may suffer many of the same issues that others with a depression diagnosis encounter, including trouble sleeping, fatigue, trouble concentrating, feeling worthless or suicidal, and restless, unintentional movements, called psychomotor agitation...
