How Do You Know You Have Suffered A Stroke?

Cirelle K. Rosenblatt, PhD, RPsych, discusses stroke signs and symptoms.

A stroke refers to a condition where there has been a disruption of blood flow to the brain.

This can be as a result of a hemorrhage such as a bleed in the brain, or as the result of a blockage in the brain that can result from something such as a clot.

When there is such a hemorrhage or a clot that interferes with blood flow to the brain or a bleed in the brain, there's a disruption to normal neurological function related to those areas.

That results in a number of different possible outcomes such as a disruption in motor function or even paralysis in specific areas, disruptions in speech or language, expressive or comprehensive or receptive.

It also interferes with a person's cognitive function in multiple domains or their visual function.

Once a person is medically stable following a stroke and there is no concern related to their medical status, it's a good idea to seek out the help of a neuropsychologist to definitively assess cognitive change related to the stroke.

That assessment would then serve as a basis for treatment planning for that person in terms of potential rehabilitation of those areas of cognitive change.

If you have questions about strokes, contact a neuropsychologist who is specifically trained in brain-behavior relationships.