Stroke Survivor Blog

With World Stroke Day approaching on October 29, 2011, it is important to be aware of a condition called Pseudobulbar Affect or PBA that can affect stroke victims. PBA is a neurological condition that is often overlooked or can be misdiagnosed as depression.

Five Clues That Your Loved Ones’ Unpredictable Emotional Outbursts Are Not Depression but Pseudobulbar Affect (PBA):

• The patient bursts out crying or laughing for no apparent reason.
• The patient cries or laughs at inappropriate times.
• The patient experiences outbursts of emotion that are exaggerated or inappropriate for the situation.
• Patients can’t control their tears or laughter, even when they try to.
• Patients may isolate themselves out of fear of having an episode in public.

What is PBA?

PBA is a neurological condition that affects people with an existing primary neurological condition, like stroke or traumatic brain injury, Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, multiple sclerosis (MS) and Lou Gehrig’s disease (ALS). People with PBA have sudden outbursts of involuntary emotional displays that they cannot control.

This health condition, now known as PBA, was first described more than 130 years ago. But yet today many patients and members of the medical community don’t realize that this debilitating disorder may affect more than one million people in the U.S. The episodes of involuntary crying and/or laughing occur unpredictably, and can be frequent and severe. Since laughter and crying are two of the most basic human emotions, it’s extremely difficult for people with PBA to interact with others without being able to have control over these emotions, which often leads to social isolation.

But this doesn’t have to happen to you. Perhaps you can’t control your episodes of emotional display, but you can let others know that these outbursts are the result of neurological damage. The episodes do not reflect the person you are, or the way you feel on the inside.

To learn more about PBA, please visit www.pbainfo.org and talk with your neurologist or primary care doctor about your’s or a loved one’s symptoms.