[Depression and neurological disorders]

Depression frequently accompanies neurological disorders. Depressive symptoms have specific characteristics depending on the type of cerebral lesion, comorbidity and psychosocial impact. Difficulties in distinguishing mental symptoms from those caused by neurological damage partly explain the fact that depression is still under-diagnosed. Depression has a major negative impact on the quality of life and increases patients dependency on relatives. Evidence-based guidelines for treatment are very sparse and there is an urgent need for large-scale controlled trials.