Around 23 Percent of all Stroke Survivors Suffer from PTSD, Study Finds

According to a new study, about one in every four stroke survivor showed symptoms of PTSD. Researchers found that one in nine stroke survivors will go on to experience chronic PTSD for at least a year or longer.

Post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a condition that affects a person who recently witnessed a traumatic event such as, a death. About 3.5 percent of the U.S. adult population has been diagnosed with this condition. A recent study showed that half of all PTSD sufferers also have symptoms of depression. The present study was conducted by a study team led by researchers from Columbia University Medical Center.

"This work builds on recent findings of ours that PTSD is common among heart attack survivors and that it contributes to a doubled risk of a future cardiac event or of dying within one to three years. Our current results show that PTSD in stroke and TIA survivors may increase their risk for recurrent stroke and other cardiovascular events," said Donald Edmondson, PhD, assistant professor of behavioral medicine (Center for Behavioral Cardiovascular Health) at CUMC and first author of the study.

Many people suffer from stroke or transient ischemic attack every year and Edmondson believes that the current study can help improve long-term survival and health of these patients.

For the study, researchers looked at data available from previous studies conducted on the subject of stroke-induced PTSD. They found about nine studies in the meta-analysis that included over 1,100 stroke survivors.

Results of the study showed that one in four stroke survivors or about 23 percent of them suffered from symptoms of PTSD within the first year after the event. Also, about one in nine or 11 percent suffered from chronic symptoms of PTSD for about a year or longer.

"PTSD and other psychological disorders in stroke and TIA patients appear to be an under-recognized and undertreated problem," said Ian M. Kronish, MD, MPH, assistant professor of medicine (Center for Behavioral Cardiovascular Health) and a senior author of the study.

The study is published in the journal PLOS One.