Routine multi-disciplinary team meeting may help clarify this further.
Common emotional reaction to having a stroke
A stroke can be a sudden and devastating life event. It is not uncommon for people to feel upset or low or angry after a stroke as they come to terms with its immediate effects and consequences. If these symptoms persist then it is important to check whether the person has a significant mood disturbance.
Emotional lability
Stroke can cause people to have unpredictable episodes of crying or laughing. Frequently these episodes can come on quickly without warning and with an intensity that is more than would be expected for the situation. Sometimes the person reports no feelings of sadness or happiness accompanying their laughing or crying.
Depression
Depression is common after a stroke (approx 33% of people suffer depression in first 12 months). It can be difficult to distinguish from other consequences of a stroke but may lead the person to feel upset, to have no interest in activities, a lack of motivation and to have changes to appetite and sleeping
Underlying physical problems
It is important that when people seem low in mood or anxious that any physical causes such as infection, incontinence, or significant pain are ruled out as reasons for the person feeling lower in mood than normal.
Environmental problems
Perhaps Mary is not sleeping as she is unable to get to sleep due to a noisy ward environment, she may not like hospital food, or she may seem disinterested due to a lack of stimulation and activities on the ward.
Direct result of the stroke
Mary may have reduced motivation due to the part of brain that has been damaged in the stroke. As the frontal lobe is involved with initiation and social interactions, damage to this area may account for some of her behaviour.
Page last reviewed: 24 Feb 2020
