Emotional Disorders after Stroke

Emotional disturbances are common among stroke patients. These include pathological anger, fears, impaired voluntary control over the expression of emotions (violent crying, laughter), emotional flattening (apathy), and impairments to the recognition of emotions and affective empathy. Poststroke emotional disorders can develop as an independent phenomenon or as a manifestation of disorders such as depression, anxiety, catastrophization, post-traumatic stress disorder, etc. Correction of post-stroke emotional disorders uses methods including pharmacotherapy, psychotherapeutic correction, and neuromodulation.