Our brain is in charge of most things in our body, including our thoughts, feelings, and behaviors. When someone experiences a stroke, it can affect parts of the brain that control our mood and behavior so that they no longer work as they used to before the stroke. That is why stroke survivors often struggle with common mental health problems, such as anxiety, depression, and social isolation, during and after their recovery. In general, we call these concerns Post-Stroke Psychosocial Stress.
When stroke survivors do not get treatment for post-stroke psychosocial stress, it can take longer for them to feel better during their recovery. This can have a negative effect on survivors’ quality of life as well, which in turn can worsen the post-stroke psychosocial stress. Add to this the fact that stroke survivors often discharge directly home from the hospital without additional supportive services and are only able to receive care from family members, spouses, and loved ones, whom we call informal caregivers. Because informal caregivers usually don’t have any medical training, they can feel overwhelmed and develop caregiver burden and psychosocial stress. Increased caregiver burden can affect the informal caregiver’s ability to help the stroke survivor through their recovery. This means that both the stroke survivor and their informal caregiver’s psychosocial stress can increase, which can also make recovery more difficult.
Fortunately, there are helpful therapies and supports for stroke survivors and informal caregivers. Receiving these kinds of supports can improve the recovery process for the stroke survivor and their loved ones by reducing post-stroke psychosocial stress.
The Mental Health Program focuses on developing behavioral interventions, supports, and therapies for this crucial post-stroke period. We are interested in learning about how the interventions can improve post-stroke psychosocial stress so that we can improve the education and support services for stroke survivors and their informal caregivers in our communities.
The stroke institute holds a monthly mental health program meeting every 3rd Wednesday of the month at 4 PM CST on TEAMS to discuss current projects related to stroke and mental wellness and ideas for future projects. Interested in joining? Email Dr. Jennifer Beauchamp
For additional resources click on any of the links below to jump to:
The Jung Center's Mind Body Spirit Institute offers free weekly meditation. This online and live streaming program can be taken from home, or anywhere with an internet connection. For more information and registration details, please visit the The Jung Center's Mind Body Spirit Institute
"Every time we wash our hands, we have a perfect opportunity to bring our attention to the present and let go of anxiety. Alejandro Chaoul, PhD, founding director of The Jung Center's Mind Body Spirit Institute, teaches this easy practice." Please check out this mindful handwashing video provided by The Jung Center of Houston.
During the day, if you find your mind is racing, you are having trouble focusing, or you are feeling overwhelmed, angry, agitated, worried, or critical (of self and others), use the STOP Formula - Susan Bauer-Wu, PhD, RN, FAAN
S – Stop, pause
T – Take a few slow, deep breaths and tune in
O – Open and Observe – notice what is on your mind and how you feel
P – Proceed with awareness, kindness, and wise action (or inaction)
Dr. Alejandro Chaoul shares a few mindful "pills" to do between interpreting encounters, or stressful moments that can be viewed here.
Mental Health After Stroke
Jennifer Beauchamp, PhD, RN
Beauchamp, J. E. S., Villarreal, Y., Ancer Leal, A., Savitz, S. I., & Sharrief, A. (2022). Reflections on Obstacles to Stroke Awareness in Spanish-Speaking Hispanic Populations: Lost in Translation. The Journal of Neuroscience Nursing: Journal of the American Association of Neuroscience Nurses, 54(6), 228-230. DOI: 10.1097/JNN.0000000000000674.
Alejandro Chaoul, PhD
Christopher Fagundes, PhD
Fagundes, C. P., Wu-Chung, E. L., & Christian, L. M. (2022). Special Issue: Social Determinants of Health: What we still need to know. Psychoneuroendocrinology, 140, 105713. DOI: 10.1016/j.psyneuen.2022.105713.
Brown, R. L., LeRoy, A. S., Chen, M. A., Suchting, R., Jaremka, L. M., Liu, J., Heijnen, C., & Fagundes, C. P. (2022) Grief Symptoms Promote Inflammation During Acute Stress Among Bereaved Spouses. Psychological Science, 33(6), 859-873. DOI: 10.1177/09567976211059502.
Wu-Chung, E. L., Leal, S. L., Denny, B. T., Cheng, S. L., & Fagundes, C. P. (2022). Spousal caregiving, widowhood, and cognition: A systematic review and a biopsychosocial framework for understanding the relationship between interpersonal losses and dementia risk in older adulthood. Neuroscience and Biobehavioral Reviews, 134, 104487. DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2021.12.010.
Madison, A. A., Andridge, R., Shrout, M. R., Renna, M. E., Bennett, J. M., Jaremka, L. M., Fagundes, C. P., Belury, M. A., Malarkey, W. B., & Kiecolt-Glaser, J. K. (2022). Frequent Interpersonal Stress and Inflammatory Reactivity Predict Depressive-Symptom Increases: Two Tests of the Social-Signal-Transduction Theory of Depression. Psychological Science, 33(1), 152-164. DOI: 10.1177/09567976211031225.
Chen, M. A., Brown, R. L., Chen, J. Y., de Dios, M. A., Green, C. E., Heijnen, C. J., & Fagundes, C. P. (2022). Childhood maltreatment, subjective social status, and health disparities in bereavement. Psychoneuroendocrinology, 135, 105595. DOI: 10.1016/j.psyneuen.2021.105595.
Garcini, L. M., Brown, R. L., Chen, M. A., Saucedo, L., Fite, A. M., Ye, P., Ziauddin K., & Fagundes, C. P. (2021). Bereavement among widowed Latinos in the United States: A systematic review of methodology and findings. Death Studies, 45(5), 342-353. DOI: 10.1080/07481187.2019.1648328.
Shrout, M. R., Renna, M. E., Madison, A. A., Jaremka, L. M., Fagundes, C. P., Malarkey, W. B., & Kiecolt-Glaser, J. K. (2020). Cortisol slopes and conflict: A spouse's perceived stress matters. Psychoneuroendocrinology, 121, 104839. DOI: 10.1016/j.psyneuen.2020.104839.
Suglia, S. F., Campo, R. A., Brown, A. G. M., Stoney, C., Boyce, C. A., Appleton, A. A., Bleil, M. E., Boynton-Jarrett, R., Dube, S. R., Dunn, E. C., Ellis, B. J., Fagundes, C. P., Heard-Garris, N. J., Jaffee, S. R., Johnson, S. B., Mujahid, M. S., Slopen, N., Su, S., & Watamura, S. E. (2020). Social Determinants of Cardiovascular Health: Early Life Adversity as a Contributor to Disparities in Cardiovascular Diseases. The Journal of Pediatrics, 219, 267-273. DOI: 10.1016/j.jpeds.2019.12.063.
Garcini, L. M., Chen, M. A., Brown, R., LeRoy, A. S., Cano, M. A., Peek, K., & Fagundes, C. (2020). "Abrazame Que Ayuda" (Hug Me, It Helps): Social Support and the Effect of Perceived Discrimination on Depression among US- and Foreign-Born Latinxs in the USA. Journal of Racial and Ethnic Health Disparities, 7(3), 481-487. DOI: 10.1007/s40615-019-00676-8.
Jennifer Hughes, PhD
Sudhakar Selvaraj, MD, PhD
DeMaster, D., Godlewska, B. R., Liang, M., Vannucci, M., Bockmann, T., Cao, B., & Selvaraj, S. (2022). Effective connectivity between resting-state networks in depression. Journal of Affective Disorders, 307, 79-86. DOI: 10.1016/j.jad.2022.03.041.
Dandekar, M. P., Diaz, A. P., Rahman, Z., Silva, R. H., Nahas, Z., Aaronson, S., Selvaraj, S., Fenoy, A. J., Sanches, M., Soares, J. C., Riva-Posse, P., & Quevedo, J. (2022). A narrative review on invasive brain stimulation for treatment-resistant depression. Revista Brasileira De Psiquiatria, 44(3), 317-330. DOI: 10.1590/1516-4446-2021-1874.
Fang, F., Godlewska, B., Selvaraj, S., & Zhang, Y. (2022). Predicting Antidepressant Treatment Response Using Functional Brain Controllability Analysis. Brain Connectivity. DOI: 10.1089/brain.2022.0027.
Sanches, M., Nguyen, L. K., Chung, T. H., Nestadt, P., Wilcox, H. C., Coryell, W. H., Soares, J. C., & Selvaraj, S. (2022). Anxiety symptoms and suicidal thoughts and behaviors among patients with mood disorders. Journal of Affective Disorders, 307, 171-177. DOI: 10.1016/j.jad.2022.03.046.
Fang, F., Godlewska, B., Cho, R. Y., Savitz, S. I., Selvaraj, S., & Zhang, Y. (2022) Effects of escitalopram therapy on functional brain controllability in major depressive disorder. Journal of Affective Disorders, 310, 68-74. DOI: 10.1016/j.jad.2022.04.123.
Lakkireddy, S. P., Balachander, S., Dayalamurthy, P., Bhattacharya, M., Joseph, M. S., Kumar, P., Kannampuzha, A. J., Mallappagari, S., Narayana, S., Alexander, A. C., Muthukumaran, M., Sheth, S., Puzhakkal, J. C., Ramesh, V., Thatikonda, N. S., Selvaraj, S., Ithal, D., Sreeraj, V. S., Mahadevan, J., Holla, B., Venkatasubramanian, G., John, J. P., Murthy, P., Benegal, V., Reddy, Y. C. J, Jain, S., ADBS Consortium, & Viswanath, B. (2022). Neurocognition and its association with adverse childhood experiences and familial risk of mental illness. Progress in Neuro-Psychopharmacology & Biological Psychiatry, 119, 110620. DOI: 10.1016/j.pnpbp.2022.110620.
Fenoy, A. J., Schulz, P. E., Sanches, M., Selvaraj, S., Burrows, C. L., Asir, B., Conner, C. R., Quevedo, J., & Soares, J. C. (2022). Deep brain stimulation of the "medial forebrain bundle": sustained efficacy of antidepressant effect over years. Molecular Psychiatry, 27(5), 2546-2553. DOI: 10.1038/s41380-022-01504-y.
Zingg, A., Carter, L., Rogith, D., Selvaraj, S., Franklin, A., & Myneni, S. (2022). Mobile Health Applications for Postpartum Depression Management: A Theory-Informed Analysis of Change-Use-Engagement (CUE) Criteria in the Digital Environment. Studies in Health Technology and Informatics, 290, 844-848. DOI: 10.3233/SHTI220198.
Fang, F., Godlewska, B., Cho, R. Y., Savitz, S. I., Selvaraj, S., & Zhang, Y. (2022). Personalizing repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation for precision depression treatment based on functional brain network controllability and optimal control analysis. NeuroImage, 260, 119465. DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2022.119465.
Chung, T. H., Hanley, K., Le, Y. C., Merchant, A., Nascimento, F., De Figueiredo, J. M., Wilcox, H. C., Coryell, W. H., Soares, J. C., & Selvaraj, S. (2022). A validation study of PHQ-9 suicide item with the Columbia Suicide Severity Rating Scale in outpatients with mood disorders at National Network of Depression Centers. Journal of Affective Disorders, 320, 590-594. DOI: 10.1016/j.jad.2022.09.131.
Anjail Sharrief, MD, MPH
Varughese, T., Casameni Montiel T., Engebretson, J., Savitz, S. I., Sharrief, A., & Beauchamp, J. E. S. (2022). A Person-Centered Approach Understanding Stroke Survivor and Family Caregiver Emotional Health. Journal of Neuroscience Nursing: Journal of the American Association of Neuroscience Nurses, 54(2), 68-73. DOI: 10.1097/JNN.0000000000000640.
Love, M. F., Brooks, A. N., Cox, S. D., Okpala, M., Cooksey, G., Cohen, A. S., & Sharrief, A. Z. (2022). The effects of racism and resilience on Black stroke- survivor quality of life: Study protocol and rationale for a mixed-methods approach. Frontiers in Neurology, 13, 885374. DOI: 10.3389/fneur.2022.885374.
Sharma, M., Smith, E. E., Pearce, L. A., Shoamanesh, A., Perera, K. S., Coutts, S. B., Damgaard, D., Ameriso, S. F., Rha, J. H., Modrau, B., Yoon, B. W., Romano, M., Messé, S. R., Barlinn, J., Lambeck, J., Saad, F., Berkowitz, S. D., Mundl, H., Connolly, S. J., Hart, R. G., & NAVIGATE ESUS MIND MRI Substudy Investigators. (2022). Frequency and Patterns of Brain Infarction in Patients With Embolic Stroke of Undetermined Source: NAVIGATE ESUS Trial. Stroke, 53(1), 45-52. DOI: 10.1161/STROKEAHA.120.032976.
Fifi, J. T., Nguyen, T. N., Song, S., Sharrief, A., Pujara, D. K., Shaker, F., Fournier, L. E., Jones, E. M., Lechtenberg, C. G., Slavin, S. J., Ifejika, N. L., Diaz, M. V., Martin-Schild, S., Schaafsma, J., Tsai, J. P., Alexandrov, A. W., Tjoumakaris, S. I., Sarraj, A., & SELECT Investigators. (2022). Sex differences in endovascular thrombectomy outcomes in large vessel occlusion: a propensity-matched analysis from the SELECT study. Journal of Neurointerventional Surgery, 018348. DOI: 10.1136/neurintsurg-2021-018348.
Denny, M. C., Ancer Leal A., Montiel, T. C., Wynne, K., Edquilang, G., Vu, K. Y. T., Vahidy, F., Savitz, S. I., Beauchamp, J. E. S., & Sharrief, A. Z. (2022). Stroke Literacy Video for Patients and Families: Symptoms, Risk Factors, and Prevention. JMIR Formative Research. DOI: 10.2196/31903.
Kleindorfer, D. O., Towfighi, A., Chaturvedi, S., Cockroft, K. M., Gutierrez, J., Lombardi-Hill, D., Kamel, H., Kernan, W. N., Kittner, S. J., Leira, E. C., Lennon, O., Meschia, J. F., Nguyen, T. N., Pollak, P. M., Santangeli, P., Sharrief, A. Z., Smith, S. C. Jr., Turan, T. N., & Williams, L. S. (2021). 2021 Guideline for the Prevention of Stroke in Patients With Stroke and Transient Ischemic Attack: A Guideline From the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association. Stroke, 52(7), e364-e467. DOI: 10.1161/STR.0000000000000375.
Sarraj, A., Pizzo, E., Lobotesis, K., Grotta, J. C., Hassan, A. E., Abraham, M. G., Blackburn, S., Day, A. L., Dannenbaum, M. J., Hicks, W., Vora, N. A., Budzik, R. F., Sharrief, A. Z., Martin-Schild, S., Sitton, C. W., Pujara, D. K., Lansberg, M. G., Gupta, R., Albers, G. W., Kunz, W. G., & SELECT Investigators. (2021). Endovascular thrombectomy in patients with large core ischemic stroke: a cost-effectiveness analysis from the SELECT study. Journal of Neurointerventional Surgery, 13(10):875-882. DOI: 10.1136/neurintsurg-2020-016766.
Reddy, S., Wu, T. C., Zhang, J., Rahbar, M. H., Ankrom, C., Zha, A., Cossey, T. C., Aertker, B., Vahidy, F., Parsha, K., Jones, E., Sharrief, A., Savitz, S. I., & Jagolino-Cole, A. (2021). Lack of Racial, Ethnic, and Sex Disparities in Ischemic Stroke Care Metrics within a Tele-Stroke Network. Journal of Stroke and Cerebrovascular Diseases: The Official Journal of National Stroke Association, 30(1), 105418. DOI: 10.1016/j.jstrokecerebrovasdis.2020.105418.
Jones, E., Kumar, A., Lopez-Rivera, V., Sebaugh, J., Kamal, H., Sheth, S. A., Sharrief, A., & Zha, A. (2021). Racial and Ethnic Disparities in Functional Outcome after Thrombectomy: A Cohort Study of an Integrated Stroke Network. Journal of Stroke and Cerebrovascular Diseases: The Official Journal of National Stroke Association, 30(12):106131. DOI: 10.1016/j.jstrokecerebrovasdis.2021.106131.
Samuel, S., Reddy, S. T., Parsha, K. N., Nguyen, T., Reddy Indupuru, H. K., Sharrief, A. Z., Zhu, L., McCullough, L. D., & Savitz, S. I. (2021). Routine surveillance of pelvic and lower extremity deep vein thrombosis in stroke patients with patent foramen ovale. Journal of thrombosis and thrombolysis, 51(4), 1150-1156. DOI: 10.1007/s11239-020-02262-w. PMID: 32888135.
The UTSHB Consortium is a UT System Administration initiative designed to improve the health of Texans by providing a standardized biospecimen/related data search and request mechanism for UT personnel at participating institutions. Mental health data is available with appropriate approvals. Find out more at: https://www.utsystem.edu/utshbc/home.html
Connect with The Institute for Stroke and Cerebrovascular Diseases