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A new study came out that being diagnosed with hypertension before the age of 35 leads to triple the risk of stroke (double the risk if diagnosed 35-44).

https://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/hypertension-before-35-tied-triple-stroke-risk-midlife-2024a10002bn

The study only looked at African American women. In the discussion of the findings they noted...

/...one of the contributing factors that may increase the risk for Black women is their disproportionate experience of psychosocial stressors and chronic cumulative stress.

"Psychosocial stressors and chronic cumulative stress" (at a relatively young age) is pretty much the definition of having CPTSD or being at high risk for it.

I'm a white guy, but it all fits for me... And unfortunately I had a stroke last year (age 55).

If you have CPTSD plus other risk factors for stroke (family history, etc.) definitely look into ways you can reduce your stroke risk. Even minor strokes can result in long-term problems.

[And yes, there are other studies that have shown a relationship between PTSD and stroke, but many of those studies are with people in the military - so "regular" PTSD, not CPTSD. Those studies have shown a much lower correlation in the neighborhood of 136% relative risk instead of 300%. It's notable that CPTSD type scenarios are associated with much worse outcomes.]

And... the Medscape article makes it sound like the full article / study details should be available soon - after it's presented at a conference.

I have something of a growing problem with getting choked up (e.g. "verklempt") when talking talking or thinking about the simplest things. Pretty much anything with an emotional component can trigger it which is really awkward socially. My best friends are kinda used to it and just ignore it (which is helpful). But when I'm talking to people I don't know so well it's awkward for both of us since they don't know how to respond (I'm a beefy 6' guy - so it's not behavior anyone expects from me). And it hits suddenly in mid-sentence - so it's not like I can easily avoid it. About all I can do is pause really briefly, try to quickly suppress the emotion, and carry on by speaking slowly and deliberately - but my voice will waiver a bit which gives away the problem.

In a way I think this problem is better than the previous one - where years ago I was completely detached from my emotions. I was pretty locked down and compartmentalized. I get the sense this is happening now because I finally feel safe with my situation and so it's safe to explore/experience feelings I once suppressed. It's no big deal with I'm alone - it feels like a long process of "getting it out", but there are times when I need to be able to handle the emotion better.

Have any of you experienced something similar? How do you manage those situations?

The first version of this post was far too much information

Let's just say I've gone through a bunch of stuff and it all built up over the years. My attempts to get back on track have gotten progressively more difficult the last few years after an assault where I kept having to deal with the factors that were part of the assault afterwards. So I came to realize I was probably dealing with PTSD, not just depression that I could pull myself out of. When I came across discussion of CPTSD I realized what I was experiencing was probably the cumulative product of lots of things that have happened over the years.

I've resisted meds because I wanted to feel things to help me understand what was going on. And haven't seen a therapist in a long while. Not opposed to it, just not sure how much it will help. Hopefully what I read on here will help me understand better.