Stroke Linked To Depression

Middle-aged blues may be a little more dangerous than doctors once thought. If you're over 50 and struggle with depression, you may have experienced a minor stroke.

A study in the journal Stroke says depression is sometimes the result of a silent stroke, where small blood vessels in the brain become blocked or rupture and, over time, result in brain damage, reports CBS News Health Correspondent Dr. Emily Senay.

Silent strokes do not carry the usual warning signs of dizziness, headache and loss of motor skills. Silent stroke can also lead to a much more serious stroke, so the researchers recommend that people over 50 who develop depression get checked out for stroke, too.

Researchers studied MRIs from thousands of elderly people in four different U.S. communities. They found that those who reported depression were more likely to have small lesions on the brain.