Depression - Post CVA

• Evolutional Psychology/Anthropological Psychology by Ed Riemann LCSW, 1/2/97
  
  

Having worked with CVAs, TBIs, and epileptics et al., for many years, one does not have to look for "historical" explainations for post CVA depression and its consequences. Quite simply, a CVA effects the brain, language processing, speech, motor functioning, mobility, and most importantly, the emotions and emotional lability. The sites of the lesion (damaged area of the brain) will determine the effects of the CVA (stroke), but frequently the emotions, executive functions, etc., are effected, also areas of the limbic system, parts of which regulate both emotion and memory. And, in addition to this, of course, depression would be a component of a CVA, because of the frequently devastating nature of its consequences. I would ask, what your affect would be if you lost the power of speech, or the ability to communicate, or find yourself paralyzed on one side? In fact, I would posit that some depression would not only be expected, but "nornmal". True, a CVA is an historical event, but in the sense of it being primarily a brain and cognitive event. The post CVA individual's "history" is often drastically different from that pre-CVA.

William B. Secor

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