Excerpted from "Behavior Changes After Stroke," appearing in the Stroke Connection Magazine January/February 2005.
Personality changes after stroke can be distressing to survivors and family members alike, but they are not always permanent. “It really depends on what the personality change is,” says Dr. Spradlin. “Sometimes they mellow out.”Certainly, depression need not be permanent, especially with the array of anti-depressant drugs and the increasing availability of talk therapy and support groups.
In a situation involving impulsiveness or inappropriate behavior, behavioral interventions may help — consistently reminding the survivor to slow down or putting a lap belt on a chair so he or she can’t just jump up. Consistent verbal and visual cuing and repeated reminders can help a person with poor impulse control to slow down.
The personality changes that stroke can cause can be intense for everybody concerned. And there is no guarantee that they will go away. Of course, this situation is full of opportunities for guilt, despair, anger, shame and depression — and not just for the survivor. “I tell all the stroke families I work with, there is life after stroke, but you have to stay active and stay around people. That’s why support groups are so important.”
