Post-Stroke Depression: Focus on Diagnosis and Management during Stroke Rehabilitation

Introduction The encouraging trend toward more individuals surviving stroke creates concern about how these survivors live with the residual effects. Depression, the most frequent neuropsychological problem after stroke, is estimated to affect 25–75% of survivors at some point in the months following stroke.1,2 The negative outcomes associated with post-stroke depression (PSD) make recognition and treatment an important aspect of the care for stroke survivors. Depressive symptoms result in less participation in rehabilitation, extended recovery time, and significantly decreased quality of life, even among stroke survivors with minor neurological deficits.1,3 Furthermore, PSD independently increases the risk of poststroke mortality and is associated with increased utilization of health care.4 Although the etiology of PSD is complex and multifactorial, improvements in the diagnosis and treatment of this common problem may be accomplished through interventions using a biopsychosocial framework.1,5