Depression and Stroke
Depression is common in stroke patients: Of the approximately 600,000 people who suffer from stroke or recurrent stroke every year in the U.S., 10% to 27% experience concurrent major depression (for an average duration of just under a year) and an additional 15% to 40% experience depressive symptoms.
As a leading cause of disability in older people, stroke may cause a person to experience loss of control and independence, feelings known to contribute to depressive disorders. The negative effects of stroke are compounded in people who experience concurrent depression because these individuals may be less motivated to follow a rehabilitation program.
Certain factors affecting the likelihood and severity of depression in stroke patients include:
- location of the brain lesion
- family history of depression
- prior depressive episodes
- prestroke social functioning
Although often co-occurring with stroke, clinical depression is not an expected result of stroke. When present, clinical depression should always be treated.
