If you are a stroke survivor, you have beaten the odds, but you may be faced with a host of issues. Stroke can be devastating. You may find yourself unable to communicate, get around without assistance, or even use your hands. The American Stroke Association's (a division of the American Heart Association) statistics on stroke are grim.

• About 700,000 Americans suffer a new or recurrent stroke every year. That translates to a stroke occurring every 45 seconds.

• Stroke is the third leading cause of death behind heart disease and cancer.

• Someone dies of stroke about every three minutes. Of every five people who die from strokes, two are men and three are women.

The effects of stroke depend primarily on the location of the obstruction and the extent of brain tissue affected.

Since the right side of the brain controls the left side of the body, and vice versa, a stroke occurring in the brain's right side will affect the left side of the body (and the right side of the face). The American Stroke Association notes that, in this case, there may be paralysis on that left side, vision problems, a sharp and inquisitive behavioral style, and memory loss.

If the stroke occurs on the left side of the brain, the right side of the body (and the left side of the face) will be affected. There may be paralysis on the right side of the body, speech and language problems, a slow, cautious behavioral style, and memory loss.

Depression in Stroke Survivors

Just as with CVD, having your body turn on you is not only frightening, but it's a reminder of your mortality. If you can't trust your own body, what is there to trust? It may all seem hopeless.

Stroke happens quickly, but frustration afterwards builds slowly and there's no outlet when you've experienced some of the more serious effects of a stroke. If recovery turns into a slow process with little headway, depression is likely to add to your difficulties. Also, the stroke can create some biochemical changes in your brain and make it impossible for you to experience positive emotions.

The American Stroke Association reports that about 40 to 50 percent of stroke survivors experience depression, which can occur soon after the stroke or several months later. So whether it's in response to what you have lost or as a result of brain injury, your depression should be treated.

Treating Depression in Stroke Survivors

Before treatment for depression can begin, the diagnosis has to be made. With elderly stroke survivors, other physical conditions may hide depression's symptoms. And if the stroke survivor can't articulate how he feels, diagnosis becomes doubly hard.

Treating depression, however, leads to improved thinking skills which enhances physical recovery. If an elderly stroke survivor is unable to effectively communicate, family members or close friends may notice changes in behavioral patterns that they can share with the medical or mental health professional to aid in making or ruling out a depression diagnosis.

If you are a caregiver or relative of an elderly stroke survivor, ask the attending physician if treatment for depression would improve quality of life. It's important to persist and find out if depression is a factor that's complicating recovery.