Characteristics and correlates of poststroke depression: An Indian study

Post stroke depression adversely affects long term outcome of stroke and increases mortality risk. Few studies have looked into the comprehensive picture of post stroke depression in past.

The current study aimed to look into the phenomenology, characteristic features and various correlates of post stroke depression.

142 consecutive stroke patients aged 60 years or above, fulfilling the inclusion criteria were assessed. Sociodemographic and clinical data were gathered using a specially designed pro-forma. Depression, apathy and psychosis were assessed by Post stroke depression rating scale, Apathy Evaluation Scale, and Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale respectively. Groups (with or without major depression) were compared using Mann-Whitney U, chi square or Fisher's exact test. One way ANOVA was conducted to see the relations of lesion location and laterality with various clinical parameters. Kaplan-Meier survival analysis was done to see the time to develop depression. The effect sizes were reported as r and partial eta squared.

Guilt was significantly higher (p<.05) with lesions in parietal lobe and remaining of middle cerebral artery territory. Catastrophic reaction (p<.05) and emotional dyscontrol (p<.05) were higher for diffuse lesions, periventricular lesions and lesions in frontal/occipital lobe. BPRS score, but not apathy, had a significant positive correlation with depression (Pearson's r=.692). Mean time to develop depression after stroke was 28.34 (95% CI 22.37 to 34.31) months.

Post stroke depression consists of various clinically important sub-components whose occurrence varies with different lesion locations. Post stroke depression is discriminable from apathy but is related to psychosis.