Depression following traumatic brain injury: epidemiology, risk factors and management

It is important for clinicians to recognize major depression following traumatic brain injury (TBI) because of its association with poor global and psychosocial outcome, postconcussive symptoms and cognitive deficits. The purpose of this review is to provide an up-to-date selective review of the current understanding of epidemiology, risk factors and management of major depression following TBI. Many studies of prevalence of depression following TBI have not used accepted structured criteria for the diagnoses, but those that did found wide ranges of rates, from 17% to 61%. The risk factors for development of depression following TBI are poorly understood, but past psychiatric history, frontal lesions and atrophy, and family dysfunction have been shown in more than one study to play important roles. There are few controlled trials of the treatment of major depression in patients with TBI using accepted diagnostic criteria for major depression, as well as defined criteria for response and remission. As such, it is important for clinicians to use best practice guidelines for the treatment of major depression in the absence of TBI.