After a stroke: What are the options for managing depression?
Antidepressants may not work in the way they are expected to for older people who have had strokes. The drugs might cause adverse effects such as increasing the risk of falls, so care is needed with their use. A stroke can have a major disabling effect, often limiting people’s physical abilities and greatly reducing their independence, at least at first. The adjustment to these changes and the work needed to regain more independence are very challenging, both for the person who has had the stroke and the people around them – especially the people who are caring for them. These changes in people’s lives also affect their emotions, and grief and sadness are to be expected after a stroke. Although most people will not carry on feeling this way for months or longer, up to a third of the people who have a stroke could also become depressed. So-called “clinical depression” is under-diagnosed in older people with strokes. It can be very difficult even for doctors to tell the difference betwee
