We all go through seasons of happiness and sadness. It’s just human nature. But when it grabs ahold of your life, interrupts your daily activities, and seems impossible to get out of bed, it could become problematic. If this sounds familiar, please have an open dialogue with your doctor. You may have chronic depression. There are organizations and medications to help you get through your rough seasons. You aren’t alone.
Since this pandemic began in 2020, more and more depression cases have surfaced. In a study published in March of 2021, the CDC reports for the United States, “during August 19–31, 2020, through January 20–February 1, 2021, symptoms of an anxiety or a depressive disorder increased significantly from 36.4% to 41.5%” (Vahratian, Blumberg, Terlizzi, & Schiller, 2021). Let me break these statistics down for you. In a population of 100,000 people, 41,500 people reported having depression. Which was an increase by over 5,000 people within a few months time. This means the prevalence of depression, in general, for the United States is climbing.
Survivors of stroke typically sink into a deep depression after their attack. Their life has changed- been completely flipped on it’s end. They are mourning the loss of the life they had pre-stroke. For example where one person once was able to write using a pen, they can no longer hold a pen, let alone write. That same person could have been an artist, a construction worker, a baker, the list is endless. For some stroke patients, they wished they never survived their stroke because they feel their life has no meaning anymore.
Depending on where the stroke hit our brains, we could have a loss if emotions due to a chemical imbalance in the brain. We can even have a change in personality. How do I know this? I was closely monitored throughout my recovery by CPMC for any emotional changes as well as physical changes going on in my brain.
In this space of my blog, I will be sharing information about depression in stroke patients. Using academic sources such as peer reviewed journals, and my education intertwined with my experience, will give caregivers and medical professionals a great insight as to what is going on inside the mind of a true survivor.
Reference List
Vahratian A, Blumberg SJ, Terlizzi EP, Schiller JS. (2021, March 26). Symptoms of anxiety or depressive disorder and use of mental health care among adults during the COVID-19 pandemic — United States, August 2020–February 2021. MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep 2021;70:490–494. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.15585/mmwr.mm7013e2external icon.
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