Depression May Be a Risk Factor for Stroke
Dr Margaret Kelly-Hayes and her colleagues at Boston University conducted their study by taking 4120 Framingham Heart Study patients and following them up for as long as eight years. A depression scale called the CES-D was used to assess depression symptoms. The patients were observed during the follow-up period to see if they developed strokes. The researchers then adjusted the data for traditional stroke risk factors--such as high blood pressures, diabetes, smoking and educational level--and analyzed it to determine if there was any association between depression symptoms and stroke risk.
Based upon their results, the authors concluded that indentifying depression symptoms at an early age could possibly have an impact on stroke prevention.
Comments
The problems I see with getting depression identified is the treatment given which can be far worse than a stroke. The normal treatment is prescribing highly addictive drugs which have side effects of possible heart attack, possible suicidal thoughts or violent behavior and many other side effects. While stroke is a really bad thing, possibly it may be better for the person who is just not happy to get involved in other activities, find a hobby or possibly a life style change. Going to a doctor to get a physical to locate any unknown physical problems can help a lot also.
It is obvious that Carol has never been depressed. Depression is more than just being not happy. Checking for other causes has merit but in my experience it is about anti-depressants to lift the depression so that other therapies can be employed to get to the bottom of or to find the cause of the depression. Examples being counselling, cognitive behavioural therapy and psychotherapy. Often if the cause of the depression is identified there is no need to take the a/d’s forever. CBT can reframe your way of thinking so you don’t keep thinking the way you did which caused the depression initially. The drugs( several different ones) I have been prescribed for depression have never been addictive and my doctor has never warned me about the possibility of heart attacks. Sure there are side-effects which the body often adapts to. Yes,they are unpleasant but not life-threatening and I would rather deal with the side-effects than be depressed.
I tried to kill myself in the summer and when I was released could not forgive myself. My whole are went numb and I was admitted into a hospital. During the night, a doctor came to visit me. She aske questions such as does stroke run in your family? I don’t really know? Every time I am hard on myself, my arm goes numb? What’s up with that?