We're constantly receiving information from the world around us, which our brain has to understand, organise and keep. This is called cognition. Our brain uses this information to adjust the way we think and react. If the parts of your brain that do this are damaged by a stroke, this can change the way you behave.
Changes in your emotions and to your personality are common after stroke. It's very normal to experience strong emotions after stroke, however these emotional reactions usually get better with time. Longer-term emotional and personality changes can be very challenging.
Psychologically, a stroke is a very stressful event. Some survivors may resort to exhibiting childlike behaviors as a coping mechanism to manage the stress associated with life after stroke. These behaviors are often a cry for help or attention, especially in stroke survivors who have limited independence.
Usually, self-centered behavior has nothing to do with vanity or selfishness. Rather, it's often a result of the neurological impact of stroke. To help you cope with this change in behavior, you're about to learn why self-centeredness might happen, and how to cope in the meantime.
How Does a Stroke Impact Life Expectancy? Despite the likelihood of making a full recovery, life expectancy after stroke incidents can decrease. Unfortunately, researchers have observed a wide range of life expectancy changes in stroke patients, but the average reduction in lifespan is nine and a half years.
Even after surviving a stroke, you're not out of the woods, since having one makes it a lot more likely that you'll have another. In fact, of the 795,000 Americans who will have a first stroke this year, 23 percent will suffer a second stroke.
Stroke impacts the brain, and the 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.
Anger and aggression
Many people find themselves getting frustrated and angry after their stroke. You may lose your temper for no reason or get angry about things that never would have made you feel that way before. If your anger turns into aggression, you may shout, throw things, threaten people or try to hurt them.
The stroke recovery process is long and can come with many challenges, including the feeling that symptoms are getting worse instead of better. However, know that regression after stroke is common and often temporary. This can be impacted by factors such as new medications, schedule changes, or excess fatigue.
A stroke changes life for the survivor and everyone involved. Not only do survivors experience physical changes, but many experience personality changes ranging from apathy to neglect. Some survivors just don't seem to care about anything. The best response to apathy is activity.
You may get angry more often after you've had a stroke. It can be linked to many things, including your feelings of grief, loss and frustration about your stroke. It can also be linked with changes in the brain making it hard to control your emotions.
Pseudobulbar Affect (PBA)
PBA is a neurological condition caused by damage to the brain. It's characterized by intense and often inappropriate displays of emotion that have nothing to do with how you truly feel at the moment. For example, you may suddenly laugh when seeing someone hurt or cry in response to a joke.
After suffering a stroke, many survivors experience not only physical impairments but also cognitive and emotional changes. In fact, about one-third of all stroke survivors will experience emotional difficulties, and many others may demonstrate personality changes or inappropriate behaviors.
After a stroke, you may have difficulty speaking. It may also be difficult to understand others when they speak or gesture to you. Reading and writing may be difficult. Your speech pathologist will work with you to develop a rehabilitation program.
A stroke can damage parts of the brain that are linked to the emotions, leading to problems with controlling emotions. Some people have difficulty controlling their mood, and seem angry or irritable, which can put a strain on relationships. Some people find that they become more sexual, or lose inhibitions.
Aggressive or combative behavior is a common secondary effect during the acute stages of stroke, especially if the frontal lobe has been affected. This type of behavior often resolves as the brain transitions out of the acute phase of recovery but may persist depending on the severity and area of the brain involved.
It takes about three months after the stroke for neuroplasticity to return to a more normal state. After that, a survivor can still work on regaining function and practice for improvement, but those improvements may come at a slower pace.”
No two strokes are the same. Some people may feel more like themselves within just a few days, without any lasting physical or cognitive issues. But for others, it may take several months to heal or adjust to any long-term effects.
The short answer is yes; the brain can heal after acute trauma from a stroke or brain injury, although the degree of recovery will vary. The reason the brain can recover at all is through neuroplasticity, sometimes referred to as brain plasticity.
For this reason, the 60 minutes after the onset of stroke symptoms are known as “the golden hour.” If treatment can be initiated within this brief window, the patient's outcome is likely to be better.
The first hour is considered to be the most crucial or in other terms “golden” because stroke patients have a high chance of survival and prevention of long-term brain damage if they receive medical treatment and drug therapy within the first 60 minutes of the onset of symptoms.
Some people will experience symptoms such as headache, numbness or tingling several days before they have a serious stroke. One study found that 43% of stroke patients experienced mini-stroke symptoms up to a week before they had a major stroke.