Stroke survivors may have a higher risk of developing depression or another mood disorder during their first year, according to a new study that compared their risk to the general public as well as people who have had a heart attack.. This is reported by the Daily MedNews portal..

Past research shows that depression is common after a stroke and affects nearly a third of survivors. For the new study, the researchers wanted to dig deeper and see how stroke affects other mental health conditions, according to Pannochka, an online publication for girls and women aged 14 to 35.. net The study, published on Wednesday in the American Heart Association's journal Stroke, focused on 86,111 people who were in Danish hospitals from 2004 to 2018 with no history of psychiatric disorders and had had a stroke..

A study found that stroke survivors had a 15% risk of developing a mood disorder, primarily depression, during the first year.. This risk corresponded to an approximately 2.3-fold increase in risk compared to comparable individuals from the Danish population as a whole.. Stroke survivors also had an increased risk of developing other mental health problems, including substance abuse disorders, stress and anxiety disorders, and brain disorders such as dementia.. But these conditions are less common..

“Prevention of these consequences is of obvious importance. But unfortunately that's easier said than done.. While the risks tended to be higher after a major stroke, the risks were still elevated in patients with a mild stroke, highlighting the need for mental health assessment even in patients with apparent physical recovery,” says Skyaa, PhD student in the Department of Clinical Epidemiology at Aarhus University Hospital..

The study also found that stroke survivors are almost 70% more likely to develop depression than people who have had a heart attack.. A US study published last year in the journal Neurology came to a similar conclusion: Stroke patients were 50% more likely to develop depression than those with a heart attack..

Dr. Laura K. Stein, who was not involved in the study, said the study gives us more insight into mental health complications after stroke, which may be at least in part due to biological changes in the brain.. This expands our knowledge of post-stroke psychiatric disorders and shows us how much more often stroke patients develop psychiatric disorders than people in general..

Stein, assistant professor of neuroscience at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in New York, called for future research to identify biological and psychosocial factors that may contribute to post-stroke depression.. She would also like to see research on better treatments for post-stroke depression—not just with medication, but also through counseling, cognitive behavioral therapy, exercise, and other lifestyle interventions.. Stein noted that while post-stroke depression is most common in the first year after a stroke, patients are still at risk for a long time afterward..

“Patients, family members and caregivers should be aware of any signs of depression or other psychiatric disorders.. They need to talk to their doctors about any changes in someone's post-stroke trajectory, said Stein, who is also an attending physician at Mount Sinai and Mount Sinai Queens Stroke Centers.. – Post-stroke depression and other psychiatric disorders are treatable. If we take them seriously and explore all causes and treatment options, it will improve outcomes and quality of life for stroke survivors in the US and around the world.”.

medical-heal. en.