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Case Report: an unusual case of post‐stroke psychosis in a 71‐year‐old lady with a learning disability
Author(s) -
Leeds Lesley,
Srinivasan Janaki
Publication year - 2011
Publication title -
british journal of learning disabilities
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.633
H-Index - 39
eISSN - 1468-3156
pISSN - 1354-4187
DOI - 10.1111/j.1468-3156.2010.00666.x
Subject(s) - stroke (engine) , dementia , learning disability , psychology , intervention (counseling) , population , psychiatry , cognition , disease , psychosis , psychological intervention , mental health , medicine , mechanical engineering , environmental health , pathology , engineering
Accessible summary• People with a learning disability are at special risk of developing certain problems with their health. A stroke can also happen to people with a learning disability. • It can sometimes be difficult to tell whether someone has had a stroke, especially if they seem well. Sometimes, people can develop mental health problems after a stroke. • It can be difficult for professionals to understand what has happened to the person, and certain tests, such as a brain scan, need to be carried out to work out what is wrong with the person. • We talk about the importance of getting to know the person well to help understand what their problems are and how to treat the problems. This is to make sure that they get the right diagnosis and treatment.Summary People with a learning disability are just as likely as people in the general population to be at risk of cerebrovascular disease, due to the presence of undetected/undertreated vascular risk factors. When people with a learning disability are presenting with additional cognitive impairment, it is important to consider a range of conditions that may account for this. Stroke is a major cause of cognitive impairment in older people, affecting at least one‐third of stroke survivors (Leeds et al. 2001). However, post‐stroke psychosis is rare following stroke, and, as can be seen from the case of ‘May’, individuals can make a good recovery with appropriate assessment and intervention. It is important that a diagnosis of dementia is given only after all other potentially treatable conditions have been excluded, and there is a stepwise global deterioration without any other explanation.