Characteristics of post-stroke depression in Japanese patients

Post-stroke depression (PSD) has an important impact on the quality of life of patients with stroke. We studied 100 stroke patients (mean age+/-SD: 64.6+/-11.6, range: 32-85 years) in the subacute phase (2-5 weeks after onset) and investigated the prevalence and clinical correlates of PSD in the subacute phase. The prevalences of PSD and major depression in the subacute phase evaluated by the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition, were 20.0 and 5.0%, respectively. These values were lower than those reported in Caucasian studies. The Zung Self-Rating Depression Scale (SDS) did not underestimate the presence of PSD and was thus considered valuable for the initial screening of PSD. However, SDS may overestimate PSD especially in patients with anxiety disorders or somatoform disorders and vice versa. Apathy was observed in 40.2% of patients; however, it was widely distributed and observed even in patients without serious depression.