About Post-Stroke Emotions

Extreme mood swings, it is a thing...

There is a lot going on in a stroke survivor's mind after a stroke and sometimes the emotional ups-and-downs winds up becoming frustrating and very difficult to cope with for the people around him/her. This is just a personal observation (my mom had a stroke in 1978 and my husband had a stroke in 2016) but from what I hear from other caregivers and my own experience I think women tend to have more emotions and men more anger. As I said I don't have proof of this...

I am aware that most men, even in this era, are still raised to be the "strong provider" and suddenly they are dependent on someone else, they often can't go back to work, and they can't even play catch with the family dog. It's frustrating as hell for them and they express their frustration with attitude; so often the target of their angry words is the one person most responsible for them, the wife (or significant other). And no matter how much we understand about the WHY, it isn't easy to hear the barrage of angry verbiage. If you are lucky the outbursts are only once in a while.

Handling the angry outbursts can be difficult and many of us (the wives) believe that there is no reason to allow that behavior. There are options. Speak to a doctor if the mood-swings become uncontrollable and ask about anti-depressants or counseling for your stroke survivor. And don't delay seeking help if the anger ever turns to physical violence even if it means calling the police.

Here are two informative articles from FLINT Rehab on this subject:

Helping Others Understand: Post-Stroke Depression
5 Ways to Cope with Personality Changes After Stroke




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