'I was terrified': Paisley stroke survivors share their stories

Jen Paton, who had her stroke in April last year, said that despite recovering well physically, her emotions were "unbearable" at times.

The 39-year-old told The Gazette: "I felt scared that I might have another stroke.

"I was worried about my children, then seven and eight years old.

"I lay in my bed alone, crying and crying."

When Jen returned home, she couldn't get out of bed, wouldn't socialise and felt too panic-stricken to visit her dad in hospital.

Her stroke physician noticed the psychological impact of her stroke and referred her to a psychologist.

Jen said: "My psychologist was a godsend. To have a name assigned to the way I had been feeling was such a relief.

"I was taught strategies to help with my panic attacks, and the information and advice I was given has helped me to accept the stroke and its effects.

"I got on well with my psychologist. She listened to me, and I felt like I could talk about all my emotions to her without hiding anything. She was a safe person to be with."

Belinda Butcher, 59, suffered from a transient ischemic attack (TIA), also known as a "mini-stroke", in 2019 before having a full-blown stroke in 2022.

While she was able to swallow and had no facial drooping, her speech had completely gone.

Belinda said: "I was terrified, worrying about what my future might hold. I was kept in hospital for two weeks and received speech and language therapy whilst there.

"The impact of the stroke was enormous psychologically. I couldn't drive, so had to walk everywhere, which made me physically exhausted.

"Getting on public transport was a nightmare. It's hard to make yourself understood on the bus – there's just not enough time to get the words out."

However, Belinda's fortunes changed once she was offered psychological support.

She said: "Kirsty, my psychologist, was an incredible listener, and seemed to understand what I was trying to process in my head.

"She taught me some important strategies to help give me my life back. Strategies for communicating with my GP, what to do if I wanted to visit family.

"She showed me ways of understanding conversations if not in context and coping with bigger groups of people."

Ahead of World Stroke Day on October 29, the Stroke Association is calling for an improvement plan across the 14 health boards to address emotional and psychological needs.

Research from the charity found there are fewer than eight whole-time equivalent neuropsychologists with dedicated time for strokes across the whole country.

No health boards are currently offering specialised psychological care for strokes.

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Strokes can lead to anxiety, depression, memory and thinking problems.

The Stroke Association says the psychological effects of stroke can be worse than the physical effects.

John Watson, associate director Scotland at the Stroke Association, said: "The progress health boards are making to improve psychological services is too slow.

"There is no escaping the fact that delivering the necessary emotional support for people affected by stroke will involve more investment in the workforce, both in recruitment and training.

"The inclusion of psychological support in the new stroke plan is an important step, but that aspiration is still a long way from becoming reality.

"Stroke is a clinical priority in Scotland, and it needs to be treated as such.

"We will continue to champion the need for improvements in the way stroke psychological care is delivered in Scotland. We owe it to everyone affected by stroke to ensure they get the right support to rebuild their life after stroke."