Difficulty Controlling Your Emotions
A stroke can affect your ability to control your mood and emotions. This is called emotionalism, sometimes known as emotional lability. It can mean that your mood changes very quickly and you are more emotional than you used to be.
You may find that you cry or laugh more and this can become extreme, such as laughing at something inappropriate. Or it can happen for no reason at all. Some people start to swear, when they didnt do so before their stroke.
Emotionalism is most common in the early stages of stroke, when about one-fifth of people experience it. It can be upsetting, especially if you werent an emotional person before your stroke. Some people say they feel embarrassed, so they stop going out or try to avoid social situations.
If youre more emotional it can be a sign of depression, but it can happen on its own too.
Signs of emotionalism
Were all different and, by nature, some people are more emotional than others. So signs of emotionalism depend entirely on whats normal for you. But these are some common signs:
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Finding yourself crying or laughing for no reason.
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Expressing your emotions more intensely than you actually feel them.
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Feeling like you have no control over your emotions and that even the smallest thing can set you off.
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Having emotions that seem out of place or come and go very quickly.
What can I do about emotionalism?
Mania and euphoria
Anxiety And Heart Disease
The association between anxiety and heart disease has not been as fully studied as the relationship between depression and heart disease.
However, Una D McCann, M.D., director of the Anxiety Disorders Program at Johns Hopkins Bayview Medical Center, believes the connection is strong.
Understanding The Link Between Stress And Stroke
Chronic stress directly impacts the cardiovascular system, which damages the arteries when left unmanaged. Vascular damage can eventually lead to a stroke, which is a medical emergency caused by a clogged or burst artery in the brain.
Chronic stress most commonly comes from work, relationships, or financial struggle. While we cannot always control these situations, we can control how we respond. Choosing activities like exercise and deep breathing can help reduce stress levels and, as a result, reduce your risk of stroke.
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Can Stress Cause A Stroke Like Symptoms
Sometimes, you may be stressed out and probably worrying if you are having a stroke or you just dont feel right. Anxiety, blood pressure change, and stress can make you feel weak and weird. Surprisingly, several other things can mimic stroke symptoms. Sadly, stress is one of them. A person could experience a rapid change in their speech and vision because of anxiety and stress. A transient ischemic attack or a mini-stroke often has symptoms similar to those of stress for instance, migraines, and rapid heartbeat, but they usually disappear quickly.
Can An Anxiety Attack Feel Like A Stroke
January 16, 2015 by Jenny
Hi. Its Jenny at AnxietyBoss.com. Our question today comes to us from Scott in Reserve, Montana. Can an anxiety attack feel like a stroke?
Generally, the symptoms of a panic attack can feel more like a heart attack than a stroke. Anxiety attacks, also known as panic attacks, are an acute activation of your bodys alarm system in the absence of a threat. We are all wired with what is called the flight-fight-freeze system. If there is a threat to our survival or something in our environment or our thoughts which we believe is a threat to our survival, we will experience dilated pupils, dry mouth, sweating, flushed or pale skin, a rapid heartrate, elevated blood pressure, hyperventilating, muscle tension, including tightness and discomfort in the chest and stomach, tingling or numbness in the hands or feet, and also the urge to withdraw from a threat, engage the threat, or we may lock up and be unable to move.
Many people who experience panic attacks go to or are brought by ambulance to an ER, or emergency room, because they believe they are having a cardiac event or a heart attack. The symptoms of a panic attack overlap the symptoms of a heart attack, but the cause is very different. A panic attack is your bodys alarm system activated in the absence of a real threat like the smoke alarm that keeps going off when youre cooking burgers on the stovetop. You know the house is not on fire, but the smoke alarm is insisting otherwise.
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Be Prepared For Changed Behaviour
Someone who’s had a stroke can often seem as though they have had a change in personality and appear to act irrationally at times.
This is the result of the psychological and cognitive impact of a stroke.
They may become angry or resentful towards you. Upsetting as it may be, try not to take it personally.
It’s important to remember they’ll often start to return to their old self as their rehabilitation and recovery progresses.
The Effect Of Anxiety On The Heart
When someone is anxious, their body reacts in ways that can put an extra strain on their heart. The physical symptoms of anxiety can be especially damaging among individuals with existing cardiac disease.
Anxiety may have an association with the following heart disorders and cardiac risk factors:
- Rapid heart rate In serious cases, can interfere with normal heart function and increase the risk of sudden cardiac arrest.
- Increased blood pressure If chronic, can lead to coronary disease, weakening of the heart muscle, and heart failure.
- May result in higher incidence of death after an acute heart attack.
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Health Conditions Linked To Tia And Stroke
At your TIA appointment, you’ll be tested for health conditions linked to stroke. Some people only find out that they have one of these conditions after a TIA or stroke. You may need to take long-term medication.
High blood pressure
High blood pressure is the biggest single risk factor for TIA and stroke, and it plays a part in half of all strokes. Read more about high blood pressure diagnosis and treatment.
Atrial fibrillation
Atrial fibrillation is a heart condition that causes an irregular or abnormally fast heartbeat. It can lead to a clot forming in the heart and travel to the brain, causing a stroke. Read more about AF diagnosis and treatment.
Diabetes
Diabetes causes high levels of sugar in your blood. Over time this damages the blood vessels, which can lead to clots forming and causing a stroke. Read more about diabetes diagnosis and treatment.
High cholesterol
Cholesterol is a vital substance in our bodies, but if there is too much cholesterol in your blood it can clog up the arteries with fatty deposits, leading to a clot forming. Read more about high cholesterol diagnosis and treatment.
Emotional And Behavioral Changes After Stroke Affect Survivors And Caregivers Alike
After a stroke, survivors often experience emotional and behavioral changes. The reason is simple. Stroke impacts the brain, andthe brain controls our behavior and emotions. You or your loved one may experience feelings of irritability, forgetfulness, carelessness or confusion. Feelings of anger, anxiety or depression are also common.
The good news is many disabilities resulting from stroke tend to improve over time. Likewise, behavioral and emotional changes also tend to improve. Time is on your side.
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Are There Treatments That Can Help
When emotions are overwhelming it can be easy to think that things will never get better, but they do.
And remember, youre not on your own. There are lots of people who are there to help you cope with the way youre feeling. You dont have to do it alone.
Lots of treatments and therapies can help with your emotions after a stroke. Depending on the problems youre having, your stroke nurse or GP may be able to refer you to someone who specialises in mental health, such as a psychologist or a counsellor.
Many people find that talking about the way theyre feeling helps them to be able to understand and deal with it. There are different types of talking therapies available, and your GP may be able to refer you. Medication can often help as well.
Talking therapies
Talking therapies give you time and space to talk about your problems and explore difficult feelings with a trained therapist this could be a counsellor, psychotherapist, psychologist or a psychiatrist. This can help you deal with specific problems or develop ways of coping with your thoughts and feelings.
Therapists can work with you one-to-one or jointly with your partner or other family members. Group therapy sessions are another option.
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Cognitive behavioural therapy
One type of talking therapy that many people find helpful is cognitive behavioural therapy . This can help with many of the emotions people experience after a stroke and is recommended as a treatment for depression and anxiety.
Medication
Can Stress Alone Cause A Stroke
Emotional disorders such as stress usually affect your health negatively. As we learned above, they can trigger conditions that lead to insufficient flow of blood to the brain. While it may not be the main cause, stress will increase the risk of stroke.
Several studies have proven that even a slight increase in anxiety and stress levels may increase your stroke risk. A 2012 study discovered that people who had a history of chronic stress were four times more likely to suffer a stroke. But the same study also shows that people who experience intermittent periods of stress triggered by arguing are unlikely to suffer a stroke.
Researchers in China reviewed six studies involving 138,782 participants. The study, which is published in the journal Neurology, found a link between work stress and stroke risk. Scientists found that jobs with low control and high demands were 22% more likely to cause future stroke than low demanding jobs.
Likewise, a publication in the Stroke journal examined over 6,000 people to determine how stress can raise stroke risk. Surprisingly, a third of the participants who reported greater stress and depression levels were more likely to have a stroke.
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Caring For Someone Who’s Had A Stroke
There are many ways you can support a friend or relative who’s had a stroke.
These include:
- helping them do their physiotherapy exercises in between their sessions with the physiotherapist
- providing emotional support and reassurance that their condition will improve with time
- helping to motivate them to reach their long-term goals
- adapting to any needs they may have, such as speaking slowly if they have communication problems
Caring for someone after they’ve had a stroke can be a frustrating and lonely experience.
Distinguishing A Panic Attack From A Heart Attack
Panic attacks and heart attacks can share similar if not identical symptoms. Anyone suffering from sudden and severe chest painwhether being treated for anxiety disorder or not should go to the emergency room. The physician will test the patients blood for specific heart muscle enzymes. If none are found, its usually not a heart attack.
A cardiologist sensitive to the issues of anxiety and depression will know how to sort out panic attack symptoms from heart attack symptoms, and will be able to refer the patient for treatment for panic disorder or any other type of anxiety.
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How To Tell Tia/stroke From Mimics
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Driving After A Stroke
If you have had a stroke or TIA, you cannot drive for 1 month. Whether you can return to driving depends on what long-term disabilities you may have and the type of vehicle you drive.
It’s often not physical problems that can make driving dangerous, but problems with concentration, vision, reaction time and awareness that can develop after a stroke.
Your GP can advise you on whether you can start driving again 1 month after your stroke, or whether you need further assessment at a mobility centre.
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What Does A Ministroke Feel Like
Signs and symptoms of ministrokes are the same as those of other strokes, but they may pass more quickly.
A ministroke typically lasts between a few minutes and a few hours. Symptoms may pass so quickly that a person barely notices them. For example, a person may have difficulty speaking or moving for a few minutes before the function returns.
Anyone who suspects that they have had a ministroke should seek emergency care. They serve as a serious warning that a full stroke may occur.
Ischemic strokes are caused by clots in blood vessels that block the flow of blood to the brain. Hemorrhagic strokes occur when a weakened blood vessel in the brain bursts.
It is not possible to foresee a stroke, but certain factors increase a personâs risk.
Unavoidable risk factors include:
- Age. As arteries age, they harden and narrow, making it easier for them to become blocked.
- Sex. Younger men are more at risk than younger women. However, after menopause, women are more likely than men to die of stroke.
- Family history. If a close relative has had a stroke, a person is more likely to have one.
- Personal history. If a person has already had a stroke, it increases their risk of another.
Avoiding the following can reduce the risk of having a stroke:
Feeling In Despair Or Suicidal
Sometimes difficult feelings can lead to self-harming or thinking you cant go on living.
Signs of suicidal feelings
Its different for everyone, but some common signs of suicidal feelings include:
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Hopelessness and despair.
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Feeling there is no point in living.
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Being overwhelmed by negative thoughts.
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Thinking about death all the time.
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Thinking you are not needed, and other people would be better off without you.
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Feeling that your pain will never end.
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Being cut off from your own body and feelings.
Its important to remember that suicidal feelings will go away. How long they last varies between individuals, but the sooner you tell someone how youre feeling, the sooner you can get help.
If you are feeling this way now, its a mental health emergency.
What to do about a mental health emergency
If you feel like harming yourself, or ending your own life, you should do one of these things:
1.Call 999.
2.Go to your nearest hospital accident and emergency department.
3.Contact your GP urgently and tell them whats happening. They can refer you to a crisis team.
4.Visit the NHS mental health services page to find the number for your local 24-hour mental health helpline.
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Can Anxiety Feel Like A Stroke
Anxiety and stroke are different while anxiety is commonly considered as mental health problem , stroke is a physical health condition. The causes and risk factors of both problems are also different. Nevertheless, this mental disorder can feel like a stroke . It is not only characterized by changes in moods. Instead many times, it can trigger some physical symptoms. And some of these symptoms also can occur if you have a brain attack like cerebrovascular accident.
Anxiety what actually is it and how does it occur?
Experiencing anxiety occasionally is perfectly normal and even expected to alert you to certain conditions or danger.
But when it comes persistently or even interferes with your routines such as sleep and work, this is now considered as disorder that should be not left untreated. For this case, it will probably affect your productivity and even your relationships with others.
Over time, it will also probably cause health problems. The complications that may occur include chronic headache, changes in bowel movements, insomnia, and depression.
The cause of the problem can vary from patient to patient. There is wide range of trigger factors. In many cases, it occurs due to life experiences that typically associated with a traumatic event such as losing someone that you love a lot or else.
Doctors only know that there are some factors that can put someone at higher risk than others to have an anxiety disorder.
These risk factors include:
Hailey Bieber Was Hospitalized For Stroke
Sudden numbness, trouble speaking, and dizziness are symptoms that apply to a variety of conditions.
Hailey Bieber is back home after being hospitalized with “stroke-like symptoms.”
The 25-year-old shared in her Instagram stories on Saturday that she was taken to the hospital after developing the symptoms while having breakfast with her husband, Justin Bieber. They found I had suffered a very small blood clot to my brain, which caused a small lack of oxygen, but my body had passed it on its own and I recovered completely within a few hours, she wrote, per Today.
Bieber didnt provide any more details, but her story has raised plenty of questions about health conditions that can cause stroke-like symptoms and what to do if this happens to you.
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