Mini Strokes Increase The Risk of PTSD

Recent findings published in the journal Stroke have shown that transient ischemic attack (TIA), also referred to as mini-stroke, can increase the risk of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

"We found one in three TIA patients develop PTSD," said researcher Kathrin Utz, Ph.D., a post-doctoral researcher in the Department of Neurology at the University of Erlangen-Nuremberg in Germany, in a news release. "PTSD, which is perhaps better known as a problem found in survivors of war zones and natural disasters, can develop when a person experiences a frightening event that poses a serious threat."

For the study, researchers examined 108 TIA patients who had no history of stroke. The patients answered questions that measured their mental health and found that close to 30 percent of them exhibited more depression symptoms, anxiety and a greater overall reduction in life quality. Fourteen percent of all the patients also had signs of reduced mental quality of life and about half of them showed reduced physical quality of life as well.

The researchers said they believe that TIA patients who feared suffering from a stroke in the future in combination with poor coping skills increased their own PTSD risk via poor coping skills by denying the health incident, placing blame on oneself and using drugs for comfort.

"While their fear is partly justified, many patients may be overestimating their risk and increasing their chances of developing PTSD," Utz concluded. "When experienced together, the symptoms from TIA and depression pose a significant psychological burden on the affected patient; therefore, it comes as no surprise that we also found TIA patients with PTSD have a measurably lower sense of quality of life."