Assessment of mood states in aphasia

Depression is common in patients with stroke and other neurological conditions. Accurate assessment and diagnosis is critical in understanding the causes of mood disturbance in these patients and in establishing effective treatments. Examination of mood states, however, is difficult in patients with aphasia, impaired emotional expression, and other communication and cognitive difficulties. Most standardized measures of mood are inappropriate for this population due to the instruments' linguistic, attention, and other cognitive demands. The Visual Analog Mood Scales (VAMS) are psychometrically sound measures, developed specifically for neurologically impaired patients in general and aphasic patients in particular. These very brief scales assess eight mood states: sad, happy, tense, afraid, tired, energetic, confused, and angry. The utility of these scales in clinical practice is presented, as are specific recommendations and guidelines for the assessment of mood in patients with aphasia and other communication deficits.