Talking Therapy Reduces Depression, Anxiety Symptoms in Stroke Survivors
By Elana Gotkine HealthDay Reporter
THURSDAY, June 12, 2025 -- For stroke survivors, talking therapy is associated with moderate reductions in depression and large reductions in anxiety symptoms, according to a study published online June 5 in Nature Mental Health.
Jae Won Suh, Ph.D., from University College London, and colleagues used national health care records from National Health Service Talking Therapies services in England for 7,597 patients with a hospital diagnosis of stroke before attendance to examine whether psychological treatment is effective for stroke survivors.
The researchers found that stroke survivors experienced moderate reductions in depression and large reductions in anxiety symptoms following psychological treatment. Compared with those seen within six months of a stroke, patients who started attending the services a year or more after a stroke were less likely to reliably recover from symptoms of depression or anxiety, irrespective of differences in baseline characteristics including age, gender, local area deprivation, and symptom severity. Stroke survivors were less likely to reliably recover and more likely to reliably deteriorate after psychological treatment compared with a matched sample without a stroke; these relationships were attenuated after adjustment for level of physical comorbidity.
"It is essential for general practitioners and other clinicians working with stroke survivors to screen for depression and anxiety symptoms and refer patients for psychological therapy as early as possible," Won Suh said in a statement.
One author disclosed ties to Eli Lilly and Company.
Disclaimer: Statistical data in medical articles provide general trends and do not pertain to individuals. Individual factors can vary greatly. Always seek personalized medical advice for individual healthcare decisions.
© 2025 HealthDay. All rights reserved.
Posted June 2025
Read this next
Risk for Incident CVD Increased for Women Who Reported Experiencing Stalking
MONDAY, Aug. 11, 2025 -- Women who report experiencing stalking and obtaining a restraining order have an increased risk for developing cardiovascular disease (CVD), according to...
Blowing Conch Shell Tied to Improved Obstructive Sleep Apnea Measures
MONDAY, Aug. 11, 2025 -- Respiratory muscle training through shankh (conch shell) blowing improves outcomes in individuals with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), according to a study...
Few With Myelodysplastic Syndromes Receive Hypomethylating Agents
MONDAY, Aug. 11, 2025 -- Few patients with myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS) receive treatment with hypomethylating agents (HMAs), with evidence of age-, sex-, and race-related...
More news resources
- FDA Medwatch Drug Alerts
- Daily MedNews
- News for Health Professionals
- New Drug Approvals
- New Drug Applications
- Drug Shortages
- Clinical Trial Results
- Generic Drug Approvals
Subscribe to our newsletter
Whatever your topic of interest, subscribe to our newsletters to get the best of Drugs.com in your inbox.